MH fl^TO^lCAL EELATMi TO jScOTCH^/lMEKig^N imp. Leonard /.. JVIorrisok THE GIFT OF MAY TREAT MORRISON IN MEMORY OF ALEXANDER F MORRISON oC. U . /kun-y-LS -cn^ . 1 ',> > ■> > 1 J > » RAMBLES IN EUROPE: Iq Ii^elaqd, Scotland, England, Belginni, (Jei^iganJ, ^Witzei'Iand, and France, WITH HISTORICAL FACTS RELATING TO SCOTCH-AMERICAN FAMILIES. GATHERED IN Scotland and the North of Ireland. BY LEONARD A. MORRISON, A. M., AUTHOR OF "history OF THE MORISON OR MORRISON FAMILY;"" "history of WINDHAM IN NEW HAMPSHIRE." ILL USTRA TED. BOSTON, MASS.: PUBLISHED BY CUPPLES, UPHAM & CO. ■> > / T •% t > 9 4 > 3 > Copyright. By Leonard A. Morrison. All Rights Reserved. PRINTED BY THE REPUBLICAN PRESS ASSOCIATION, CONCORD, N. H. « » • c c c • « < « c « • • fv\^?)Jt. N (V Z o § < cc u. O t (3 ®0 hm^tx tijal Jfricntr mag ht, 432589 nSTTRODUOTIO]^. This work is largely a personal narrative, which has been prepared in the spare hours of a busy life. Its object is to tell of countries visited during the ramblings of five months, of people seen, of their cus- toms and thoughts, their systems of government, and the influence of those governments upon the people. It is to speak of friendships formed, of persons absent from me, but who in spirit will abide with me forever. In these wanderings I have spoken of men, institu- tions, places, and events as they impressed me. My mission was semi-historical. My experiences in Ire- land, Scotland, and England have been largely given. This is especially true of my tour through the orig- inal Scotch setdements in Ireland, and also of my journey in Scotland. Much historical matter relating to Scotch-American families has been purposely woven into the narrative. The subject has been a favorite theme : over it my pen loves to linger. To those places on the other side of the sea my mind reverts as do the thoughts of a wanderer to his early home. Much of the journey wa* over ground visited by numerous travellers, whose adventures have been rehearsed in many books. No two persons have the same experience, nor do they see with the same eyes. The kaleidoscopic view changes with every tourist. I saw with American eyes, and judged with a judg- ment which is my own, and endeavored at all times 6 INTRODUCTION. to be impartial, "with malice toward none, and with charity for all." It is my hope that the reader may be able to appropriate some kernels of the grain which I have gathered from the oft-gleaned fields. Other portions of the journey were on less frequented routes of travel, and it is my wish that the descriptions of the same may be of interest and value. The smaller illustrations for this work have been sketched by C. H. Dinsmoor and L. J. Bridgman. Those who took so kindly an interest in my mission to the Old World have my sincere thanks. While this book is written largely for my own pleasure, it is also prepared with the hope that others may derive profit from its perusal. This, with other writings, cannot bring me much pecuniary profit, nor the laudation of men ; but they have brought a better compensation in the new avenues of enjoyment which they have unfolded, and in the fascination which they have thrown around my leisure hours. They have brought me many congenial spirits for companions, whom to know is to love, and to be understood by them is to be greatly blest. The pleasures of life have been increased. Its channel has been broad- ened and deepened. Its skies are brighter, and life is made worth living. As I have received so much from others, the thought that I may be able to return some- thing for the pleasure and profit of those about me affords me the liveliest satisfaction. L. A. M. Windham, N. H. LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. Leonard A. Morrison Frontispiece. "The Early Home" faces page i6 Blarney Castle . . . 35 Irish Jaunting-Car 38 MucKRoss Abbey 39 Eagle's Nest, at Lakes of Killarney ... 40 Ancient Round Tower 49 Londonderry, Ireland 53 Birthplace of Burns 99 Alloway Kirk 102 AuLD Brig o' Doon 103 Burns's Monument 105 Glasgow Cathedral - 109 Dumbarton Castle 120 Linlithgow Castle 124 Edinburgh Castle 128 Scott's Monument 130 Palace of Holyrood 133 Old Tombs : Grey Friars Churchyard . . . 137 Home of Walter Scott at Abbotsford . . 143 Millholm Cross 156 Hollows Tower 159 Armstrong Arms 162 Cannobie 163 Stirling Castle 178 View of Stornoway 197 MoRisoN Arms 201 Druidical Stones at Callernish 206 Cottage and Pictish Tower 210 Ben Lomond and Loch Lomond . . faces page 227 Ellen's Isle, Loch Katrine 231 The Trossachs 232 Battlefield of Bannockburn 234 William Wordsworth 239 Grasmere Church 241 Nelson's Monument, London 251 8 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. Westminster Abbey faces page 261 Henry VII's Chapel, Westminster Abbey . 263 Coronation Chair 263 Effigy of Mary Queen of Scots 264 Oliver Cromwell 265 Tower of London 276 Caxton's Printing Press 282 Cleopatra's Needle 283 William E. Gladstone 291 Mound at Waterloo 300 On the Rhine faces page 307 Fortress of Ehrenbreitstein 308 BiNGEN on the Rhine 310 Heidelberg 312 The Great Tun 314 Falls in the Alps faces page 317 The Tower 3^8 The Great Aletsch Glacier . . . faces page 319 Lucerne . . . 320 In the Swiss Mountains faces page 321 Lion of Lucerne 321 Fluelen 322 Swiss Cottage and Mountains 324 Thun faces page 327 Night in the Alps 327 Berne faces page 329 Geneva 330 In the Alps faces page 33 1 Notre Dame faces page 333 Place de la Concorde faces page 335 Arc de Triomphe and Champs-Elysbes faces page 335 New Opera House, Paris 336 Napoleon's Sarcophagus 338 Western FAgADE of the Louvre . . faces page 339 Palais Royal and Gardens .... faces page 341 Colonne de Juillet 342 Church of the Madeline .... faces page 343 Palace and Gardens of Versailles faces page 345 Shakespeare's Birthplace 348 Hathaway Cottage 348 Stratford-on-Avon 349 Shakespeare's Monument 349 Chester 350 TABLE OF CONTENTS. PREFATORY.— (Pages 1-16.) Dedication. List of Illustrations. Introduction. Table of Con- tents. CHAPTER I.— (Pages 17-31.) LEAVING THE UNITED STATES. The early home, 17. The dream of childhood, 18. The hope realized, the letter of credit, the ship, 19. The departure, cele- bration in New York, 20. Bon voyage, countries visited, 21. A wilderness of waters, 22. Monotony of the voyage, 23. Ocean tramps, different classes of passengers, 24. Cabin passengers, Mr. Jones, 25. Mr. Jones commands respect, 26. Meeting ves- sels, a storm at sea, 27. The night's great darkness, 28. Sab- bath services, 29. In sight of land, Fastenet Light, 30. Landing at Queenstown, 31. CHAPTER II.— (Pages 32-52.) IRELAND. Queenstown, 32. Care of luggage, 33. On the river Lee, the city of Cork, 34. Those Shandon bells. Blarney castle, 35. Groves of Blarney, 36. Killarney, 37. Estates of Mr. Herbert, Earl of Kenmore, the Irish jaunting car, 38. Muckross abbey, graves of the O'Sullivans, McCarthys, and Herberts, 39. Lakes of Killar- ney, 40. Cromwell's bridge, 41. Market day at Killarney, 42. Irish cabins, 43. A devout Irishman, price of women's labor, -two classes in Ireland, 44. Railway carriages, unpleasant com- panions in a third class carriage, 45. At Mallow, Irish pedigrees, 46. Irish wit, 47. Remarkable ruins, " Devil's bit," 48. Round Tower, Dublin, Trinity college, 49. Phenix park, Public Records office, 50. Official discourtesy, 51. The " 1649" officers, Scotch names on records, 52. lO TABLE OF CONTENTS. CHAPTER III.— (Pages 53-93.) IRELAND, CONTINUED. Londonderry, 53. Aghadowey, the home of Rev. James McGregor and many of the settlers of Londonderry, N. H., 54. Scotch patronymics, 55. Battle of the Boyne, Mr. Hewitt, Lord Lifford, 56. City of Londonderry, 57. Its interesting objects, meeting a descendant of James Morrison of the siege of i688-'89, Walker monument, 58. The broken boom, Magee college, the obliging attendant, 59. Interview with Bishop Alexander, Mrs. Alexan- der, 60. Home of the poet, 61. The famous cathedral and its relics, 62. Records of the cathedral, familiar names and genea- logical difficulties, 63. Family records not kept, communication from Board of Trade, 64. The cemetery, 65. Hon. Arthur Liv- ermore, U. S. consul, 66. The ludicrous court, 67. St. Patrick's day, 68. Enniskillen, ruins of Devenish island, 69. The Morri- sons, Rev. Mr. Cochran, Donegal, Barnesmore gap, 71. Family of Park, 72. Last glimpse of Londonderry, Castle Rock, Rev. James Armstrong, 73. Green castle, Coleraine, 74. The Dins- moors, 75. The Pattersons, Aghadowey, the old home of Lon- donderry, N. H., settlers, 76. The Nesmiths, the Cochrans, tt- The Morrisons, the Caldwells, 78. Familiar names in the Scotch settlements, entertained by William Morrison and Hugh R. Mor- rison, 79. Ancient earthworks, 80. Giant's Causeway, 81-83. Sixty miles by jaunting car, Carrick-a-Rede, 84. County of An- trim, 85. Belfast, 86. Landlordism, 87. Home of William E. Armstrong, 88. Demolished cabins, 89. Two classes, 90. Love for Americans, 91. Home Rule, 92. Farewell to Ireland, 93. CHAPTER IV.— (Pages 94-125.) SCOTLAND. Emigrants to Ireland in 1641, 95. Ruins of Castle Kennedy, 96. A pack of hounds, 97. Hounds and race horses in England, 98. Birthplace of Burns, 99. His genius, 100. Tam O'Shanter inn, loi. Alloway kirk, 102. Auld Brig o' Doon, 103. The niece of Burns, 104. European toilers, 105. Auchenleck, first home of the Cochrans, 106. Glasgow, 107. Management of railways, 108. Improvements of the Clyde, the cathedral, 109. Religion and patriotism, no. The crypt, in. A Scotch audience, 112. The Necropolis, Bridge of Sighs, Michael Simons, 113. Botanic Gar- dens, libraries, 114. Rev. Donald Morrison, surnames, Gallow TABLE OF CONTENTS. II gate, 115. Paisley, 116. Robert Tannahill, 117. Gifted authors, 118. Home of Sir William Wallace, ship yards on the Clyde, 119. Dumbarton castle, Greenock, 120. The dross burned away, 121. Grave of " Highland Mary," 122. Home of the Nesmiths, 123. Linlithgow castle, 124. The Roman wall, 125. CHAPTER v.— (Pages 126-141.) EDINBURGH, THE QUEEN CITY. Reaching Edinburgh, 126. In apartments, 127. The castle, 128. Scotland's regalia, Princes Street Gardens, 129. The vanished lake, Scott's monument, Calton Hill, 130. Heart of Midlothian, the university, subscribing to the covenant, 131. Libraries, graves of John Knox and of Thomas Chalmers, 132. Grave of Hugh Miller, Arthur's Seat, 133. Holyrood palace, 134. The Canon- gate, curious wynds, 135. Former homes of illustrious families, 136. House of John Knox, Grey Friars church, martyrs of the covenant, 137. Capt. F. W. L. Thomas, R. N., pleasant remi- niscences, 138. Oscar Malmross.U. S. consul. Dean bridge. Gen- eral Register House, 139. Difficulty in consulting records, 140. Farewell to Edinburgh, 141. CHAPTER VI.— (Pages 142-170.) THE DEBATABLE LAND. Home of Sir Walter Scott, 143. Arms of border families, 144. Clan Scott, 145. Melrose, 146. Melrose abbey, the heart of Bruce, 147. Reverence for royalty, 148, 149. Scott's regard for royalty, 150. Dryburgh abbey, grave of Scott, clan Maxwell, 151. Clans Chisholm, Turnbull, and Armstrong, 152. Antiquity of the Armstrongs, 153. Lands granted to Lancelot Armstrong, home of Gilnockie Armstrong, 154. In the Debatable Country, cemetery at Castleton, 155. Millholm cross, 156. Ettleton cem- etery, Kershopfoot, and Langholm, 157. Castle of Gilnockie Armstrong, 158. The Hollows Tower, 159. Strength of the clan, 160. Ensnaring and death of Gilnockie Armstrong, i6r. Churchyard at Cannobie, arms of the Armstrongs, 162. Beautiful Cannobie, its name made immortal by Scott, 163. Archie Arm- • strong, the great wit, emigration of members of the clan to Ire- land, 164. Armstrongs in Ireland, 165. Prominent names of the family in America, Scotch prisoners, 166. Visit to Hermitage castle, 167. The Douglasses, 168. Hornless black cattle, a pedestrian tour, 169. Dinner at a thatch-roofed cottage, depart- ure for the Hebrides, 170. 12 TABLE OF CONTENTS. CHAPTER VII.— (Pages 171-196.) FROM THE ENGLISH BORDER TO THE HEBRIDES. The way I reached Gretna, 171. Lockerby, 172. The clan John- ston, Peebles, 173. Neidpath castle, Henry Armour, 174. Home of the Sinclair or St. Clair family, Roslin chapel, 175. Hawthorn- den, Lasswade, castle of Craigmillar, home of the Pinkerton fam- ily, 176. Home of the Stark family, J. Grant McLean, 177. Stirling castle. Bridge of Allan, Campsie hills, 178. Garden of the King, Vale of Monteith, Wallace monument, 179. The Bridge of Stirling, the old battle-ground of William Wallace, 180. Battle-field of Bannockburn, the " Bore Stone," Henry de Bohun, 182. Gillie's hill. Abbey Craig, Wallace monument, six battle- fields, 183. Cambuskenneth abbey, 184. Home of the Aber- crombies, battle of Sherriflf-muir, 185. Value of a belt, Glen- Dochart, country of the Clan Campbell, 186. Origin of Scotch clans, 1S7. First appearance of the Campbells, 188. Their strength and ancient home, Tyndrum, Dalmally, Castle of Kil- churn, 189. "It's a far cry to Lochow," Loch Etive, Oban, departure for Stornoway, 190. In localities made famous by Will- iam Black, Island of Mull, 191. Mountains of Ulva, islands of Muck, Eig, Rum, Canna, and Skye, 192. Tragedy of the cavern, 193. Seat of Lord Macdonald, jagged coast of Lewis, 194. Wel- come to Stornoway, 195. Greetings of a clansman, 196. CHAPTER VIII.— (Pages 197-213.) ISLAND OF LEWIS TO INVERNESS. Population and extent of Lewis and Harris, Earl Dunmore, Sir James Matheson, 197. Description of Lewis, Scandinavian names, 198. Black wings, fishermen in Stornoway, Norman Mor- ison, 199. Life in Stornoway, 200. First home of the Morisons, the Morison arms, 201. Great number of the name, 202. The Macaulays and Macleods, Lord Macaulay of the Lewis family, 203. Gray crows, no trees or shrubs, Garra-na-hina, 204. Places described by William Black, 205. Original of home of " Sheila," and the " King of Borva," 206. The druidical stones at Caller- nish, 207. Houses of the crofters, 208. The smoking cabins at night, 209. Visiting the cottages, 210. Distress of the crofters, and the rebellion in Skye, 211. Land troubles, 212. A coming storm. Will Britain be just? 213. TABLE OF CONTENTS. 1 3 CHAPTER IX.— (Pages 214-234.) FROM INVERNESS TO THE ENGLISH BORDER. Leaving Stornoway, 214. A physician's practical joke, from Ulla- pool to Garve, 215. Waterfall of Corry Halloch, planting trees upon mountains, game forests, Mr. Winans of Baltimore, 216. A mountain divides the waters, a mountain of storms, arrive at In- verness, Mr. White, librarian, 217. Alexander Mackenzie, battle- field of Culloden, 218. Burial-place of the clans, and stones to each, 219. The typical Celt, Inverness, 220. Through the Cal- edonian canal, what waters the canal connects, 221. Falls of Foyers, Balluchulish, 222. Sorrowing chief of Glencoe, 223. The massacre, the Pass of Glencoe, 224. Old homes of the Macdon- alds, Ossian's cave, the Crinan canal, 225. Again in Glasgow, 226. On Ben Lomond, 227. Loch Lomond, Rob Roy's cave, 228. Haunts of Roy Roy, land of the MacGregors, 229. Their early home, 230. Loch Katrine, Loch Vennachar, 231. Through the Trossachs, meeting Hon. P. C. Cheney, 232. First home of Boyd family, 233. Farewell to Scotland, 234. CHAPTER X.— (Pages 235-249.) FROM THE SCOTTISH BORDER TO LONDON. Beauty of England, 235. Carlisle, home of the Musgraves, Kes- wick, 236. Home of Southey and Coleridge, at the English lakes, coach drive to Windermere, 237. Curious names of hotels, Der- wentwater, 238. Thirlemere lake, Dunmail Raise Pass, Grass- mere, 239. Home of William Wordsworth, 240. His grave, Grassmere church, grave of Hartley Coleridge, 241. Homes of Harriet Martineau and Mrs. Hemans, 242. Small cathedral, Lake Windermere, 243. English opinion of American politics, 244. Two Englishmen measure lances, 245, 246. City of Leeds, a Sabbath in York, Roman ruins, the walls, 247. The cathedral and triumphant song, 248. Stone coffins, arrival in London, 249. CHAPTER XL— (Pages 250-292.) LONDON. Its bright skies. Charing Cross, Scotland Yard, 251, An event wholesome to royalty, the embankment, 252. Underground rail- way, Cleopatra's Needle, 253. Mary Anderson, Henry Irving, 254. Covent Garden, 255. American Exchange, and Americans met, 256. Somerset House, Henry F. Waters, James A. D. 14 TABLE OF CONTENTS. Camp, 257. Kew Gardens, 258. Richmond Hill, 259. St. James's Park, the Mall, 260. The queen's stables, 261. West- minster abbey, 262. Chapel of Henry 7th, coronation chair, 263. Where Cromwell was entombed, 264. Beheading the dead Crom- well, 265. Present place of Cromwell's skull, no monument to Cromwell, 266. Poet's corner in the abbey, Longfellow, Major John Andrd, 267. Services in the abbey, 268. Spurgeon's preaching, 269. Rev. Dr. Parker, 270. No elasticity to British law, shrimps, 271. The British Museum, Henry Stevens, 272. Title deeds of Babylon, Egyptian relics, 273. St. Paul's church, 274. Monument to Gen. Ross and Lord Cornwallis, 275. Tower of London, 276. The crown jewels, 277. Horse armory, instru- ments of torture, 278. Waiter's gate, Hyde park, 279. The Albert memorial and Albert hall, 280. South Kensington Mu- seum, Crystal Palace, Hampstead Heath, 281. Liquor shops and girls for bar-tenders, Caxton's printing-press, 282. Hon. Thomas Biggar, Rev. Dr. Kinnear, through the parliament buildings, 283. Wonderful history of Westminster Hall, 284. Entrance to House of Commons, art galleries, slight allusions to America in paintings, police everywhere, 285. Difficulties in visiting parliament, 286. In the House of Lords, 287. Visit to the House of Commons, Sir Thomas McClure, the Maori king, 288. Herbert Gladstone, peculiarities of British orators, 289. Sir Stafford Northcote, 290. William E. Gladstone, 291. His preeminence, 292. CHAPTER XII.— (Pages 293-31S.) ON THE CONTINENT. Leaving London, Antwerp, 293. Its celebrated paintings, cathe- dral, 294. Peter Paul Rubens, 295. Brussels, Hotel de Ville, 296. Famous places in Brussels, 297. Palace of Justice, 298. Habits of the people, 299. Battlefield of Waterloo, 300. Aix- la-Chapelle, 301. Curious sights and customs, 302. Tomb of Charlemagne, Cologne, Hotel de Holland, 303. Cathedral, 304. City of Cologne, 305. A railway race, Bonn, 306. Beauties of the Rhine, Drachenfels, Coblentz, 307. Ehrenbreitstein, the vineyards, 308. German beds, Stolzenfels, Rheinfels, St. Goar, Lurlei, Schonburg, birthplace of Marshal Schomberg, 309. Good memories of the Germans, Mouse Tower, Archbishop Hatto of Mayence, 310. Bingen on the Rhine, 311. Mayence, Bishop J. F. Hurst, Heidelberg, 312. Its wonderful castles, 313. Its great tun, university, 314. Antiquated agricultural utensils, 315. TABLE OF CONTENTS. 1$ Baden-Baden, Strasburg, cathedral, clock, 316. The hermetically sealed case, German laundries, 317. At Bale, 318. CHAPTER XIII.— (Pages 319-331-) SWITZERLAND. Lucerne, Lion of Lucerne, 320. The Rigi-Kulm, Fluelen, Vitznau, 322. Sunrise on the Alps, 323. Homes of the Swiss moun- taineers, Brienz, 324. The Brunig Pass, 325. Falls of the Giess- bach, Lake of Brienz, the Jungfrau, Great Aletsch glacier, 326. Lake of Thun, Berne, celebrated clock tower, 327. Federal Council Hall, Lusanne, Hotel Gibbon, the markets, cathedral, 328. Lake of Geneva, Ouchy, Morgas, Rolle, Nyon, Coppet, Versoix, Chateau of Prangins, Joseph Bonaparte, Madame de Stael, 329. Geneva, Rousseau, John Calvin, the Swiss, 330. Swiss soldiers, 331. CHAPTER XIV.— (Pages 332-351.) FRANCE, ENGLAND. Meeting a clansman, Paris, Gen. George Walker, 332. Ex-Gov. P. C. Cheney, Notre Dame, place where Napoleon was crowned, the prince imperial, the Madeline, 333. Place de la Concorde, place of execution of Louis XVL Marie Antoinette, Charlotte Corday, Danton, Robespierre, 334. Obelisk of Luxor, Arc de Triomphe, Palace of the Elysdes, Champs-Elysdes, Palais de ITn- dustrie, 335. New Opera House, 336. Palais du Trocadero, Hotel des Invalides, 337. Napoleon's tomb, 338. The Louvre, 339. Place du Carrousel, Palace of the Tuileries, 340. Palais Royal, 341. Place de la Bastile, Colonne de Juiilet, Cemetery of Pere-la-Chaise, resting-place of Thiers, Marshal Macdonald, Madame de Genlis, 342. Grave of Ney, Bois de Bologne, St. Cloud, 343. Ville d'Avray, Versailles, apartments of Marie Antoinette, Napoleon I, Musee Historique, Grande Galerie, Gal- erie des Batailles, 345. Painting of siege of Yorktown, gardens. Column Vendome, the Gobelins, 346. Palace of the Luxembourg, Hotel de Ville, in London, at Oxford, 347. Stratford-on-Avon, Shakespeare's birthplace, his home, Hathaway cottage, Anne Hathaway. 348. Stratford church, Shakespeare's monument, 349. Chester, Liverpool, adieu to England, 350. The journey home, 351- > O w I^a/T\ble5 ^9 ^urope. CHAPTER I. THE EARLY HOME. la. Y early home was among the granite hills of New Hampshire. Like thousands of oth- ers who dwell in pleasant abodes on the plains, on the sloping mountain-side, or nestling among the green valleys of the state we love, we, my broth- ers, my sister, and I, who formed the youthful flock, drew vigor from the bracing air, and inspira- tion from the beauties of the landscape, of wood- ed hills and valleys and bodies of water, which made beautiful the place of our nativity. The years passed quickly, as they always do. Childhood gave place to youth, as it always does. My brothers, older than I, stood on the threshold of young manhood, with life and its grand possi- bilities opening up brighdy before them, when their feet grew weary in the way, and after brief suffering they went forth, young, fresh, unspotted, into everlasting sunshine and joy. 1 8 THE DREAM OF CHILDHOOD. In childhood, when reading books of travel and of localities where some of the world's most tragic events have occurred, it was a sweet day-dream to sometime visit historic towns, to stand where the most renowned ones of earth had stood, and see and feel and know what they had seen and felt and known. This was previous to the time when everybody went to Europe — before the electric cable girdled the globe, and spoke with its tongue of flame from beneath the ocean's waters. It was before the huee "reindeers of the Atlantic" carried one from New York to Queenstown in six days. Neither at that time did Cook's Agency ticket the tourist, like an express package, to all parts of the civilized world, and to sections not civil- ized. There were then no holiday excursions to Europe and return, with courteous conductors to relieve one of every trouble save that of breath- ing, and feeing impecunious servants on the other side of the sea. The dream of childhood was the hope of youth, the undefined plan of early manhood. Each year brought its duties and delayed its execution. Oft- entimes an event, slight and trivial, will change the course of a life. Standing upon a mountain in Scotland, one can see where the descending waters from a higher point are divided by a slight ridge, and one tiny rill, trickling down the moun- tain-side, increased in volume and intensity, till THE HOPE REALIZED. 19 it became a powerful current, and emptied into the North sea. The other flowed down the oppo- site way, became a mighty stream, and emptied into the Atlantic ocean. As the ridge on the mountain divided the wa- ters, so an event, small in itself, turned me from the beaten track, and changed my life. A strange course of events, unlooked for and unexpected, compelled my course into a literary channel, which it had been no purpose of mine to enter, and into which my first choice would not have led me. After six years of unremitting toil, two books went forth to the world as the fruit of my pen. As the result of those historical works, a letter from a person whom I have never met led to the journey abroad, and this volume is the result. Thus the dream of childhood came true. One hope of youth was realized, and the plan of early manhood executed, sooner than had been expected. Having concluded to make the journey, I got my letter of credit from Kidder, Peabody & Co., of Boston, on which I could draw on many banks in Europe, and secured passage to Liverpool, Eng- land, by the good ship City of Chicago, and a return ticket by any ship of the Inman line. February 20, 1884, having been fixed upon as the day of my departure, I left the home de- scribed in the commencement of this chapter, with my face turned toward the Old World. 20 THE DEPARTURE. On arrival in New York, it was ascertained that owing to rough weather, a prolonged and danger- ous voyage from England, the vessel would not sail on advertised time. This gave an opportu- nity for witnessing the elaborate and imposing demonstration on Washington's birthday in hon- or of the heroes of the Jeamiettej of the Arc- tic expedition, who had perished, in the cause of science, in the eternal frosts and snows of the Polar regions. The body of one justly honored man, Mr. Collins, with that of his mother, was placed on board of the Chicago, carried back to his native land, and now lies buried beneath the green sod of " dear old Ireland." After ex- changing United States money for British gold, my place was found on board of ship. On the afternoon of February 25th, with much confusion and bustle, the trundling of baggage, the hurrying of loaded teams on the pier, the swiftly driving cabs filled with passengers, the shouts of the policemen to preserve order, the impatient answers and sharp retorts of questioned officials and employes, the passengers and freight were on board, and the ship ready to sail. The proud flag of Great Britain and the loved flag of the United States were flying from different masts. There were hurried partings and affectionate fare- wells. The cables were taken on board, the ponderous shafts of the mighty engine began to move, the BON VOYAGE. 21 quivering, instant response of the vessel was felt, and the stately ship of 6,000 tons' burden swung- from her moorings, and amid the cheers of the assembled hundreds on the pier and the an- swerino- shouts of those on deck, the waving of handkerchiefs and the oft expressed wish for a bo7i voyage, she steamed down the harbor, past Forts Lafayette and Hamilton, past the Quaran- tine, and soon friends and streaming banners and lofty city spires faded from our view. The journey had commenced, and I was now to wander for months, by land and by sea, over the earth ; to travel extensively in Ireland, Scot- land, England, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, and France ; was to inspect places of world-wide interest, visit famous cathedrals and historic cities, to be on mighty battle-fields where struggling armies had decided the destinies of empires, muse by the graves of despots whose names lin- ger not in one grateful memory, but who like the Genius of Evil stalked through the world, and at whose decease humanity uttered exclamations of joy and songs of thanksgiving ; was also to linger by the tombs of those whose lives were radiant with good to their fellows, and whose names and deeds will be revered so long as human hearts love all that is lovely and of good report. Beautiful rivers, lovely lakes, green valleys, and the glacier-crowned Alps, with Mont Blanc's lofty head wreathed with its diadem of eternal white- 22 A WILDERNESS OF WATERS. ness, and piercing- the skies, were to become fa- miliar friends. Gentle reader, please accompany me in these wanderings, go with me step by step, while the places of travel are visited. When the pilot was dismissed, the vessel started upon its 3000 miles of ocean travel, was soon out of sight of land, and the next earth to greet the eyes of her passengers would be that of the Emerald Isle. The "Landlubbers' song" could be sung, " As we ploughed the furrowed sea." * * * " Hurrah for the ship ! Hurrah for her crew ! Merry, merry boys are we ; And our course is pressed for the Irish coast As we rise on the yeasty sea." We were now in a wilderness of waters. The heaving, jumping, tossing, white-capped billows were upon every side. Our only companions were the sea-gulls with their dark-tipped wings, which followed in the wake of the vessel, or cir- cled in the air around us, or rested themselves upon the surface of the sea. They are faith- ful companions, and often follow ships from shore to shore. The singers little knew of that of which they sang. The jubilant songs of most, when stepping on shipboard, are turned to woful lamentations before two days out from land. Sea-sickness, the monster destroyer of the happiness of ocean tran- sit, comes to most travellers, and sticks more MONOTONY OF THE VOYAGE. 23 closely than the dearest friend. Most of the pas- sengers, however, rallied after three days of illness, myself among the number. The ocean voyage, loved by few, and dreaded by most as a painful experience, passed rather pleasantly. I did not dread it, and should no more hesitate to step into a first class steamer for Europe, than to board the cars for New York or Chicago. Favoring winds cheered us on the way. The steamer's sails were set, and caught the stiffening breezes. The mighty engines kept up their cease- less action ; and the ship was propelled over the dark waters at an average of more than three hun- dred miles daily. The weather, as a rule, was favorable. The mornings often broke upon us clear and bright. The sun, rising in the intensity of its brightness from the bosom of the ocean, ushered in days cool, yet clear and delightful. Much of the time was spent on deck, promenad- ing, talking, reading, and playing games. The nights seemed long, and little could be heard save the perpetual sad moaning of the sea, the hurrying feet on deck, and the melancholy refrain of the sailors' songs when unreefing the sails. The monotony of the ocean voyage is one of its worst features. One tires of the everlast- ing expanse of waters ; of the deep blue above, the blue deep beneath and around. One is sur- rounded by the billows, ceaseless in their mo- 24 OCEAN TRAMPS. tion, and destitute of all signs of animate life, save occasionally a spouting whale, or thousands of por- poises which can be seen for miles around, or the dolphins at play, springing from the waters, look- ing beautiful with their changing colors. Our steamer was a floating palace. The table was the equal of the best hotel, and eating be- came one of the chief attractions and the principal occupation of the passengers. The three regular meals, interspersed with several lunches, kept those on board nearly as busy as a good friend of mine in Edinburgh, who nibbled away at his provisions and sipped his tea or coffee some eight times a day. Many of the gentlemen amused themselves and whiled away the time by playing poker, drinking champagne, and betting on the day's run of the steamer. Money frequently changed hands at such times. It may not be generally known, but there are ocean tramps, who live upon ocean steamers most of the time, passing to and fro over the At- lantic, whose business it is to gamble and bet, and thus rake into their own pockets the shekels of the foolish and unwary traveller. The wine bill of some of these, during a single voyage of ten days, would often be one hundred and fifty dollars. Three classes of passengers were on board, — cabin or first-class, intermediate or second-class, and the steerage. Cabin passengers fare sump- tuously every day. Every want is anticipated MR. JONES. 25 and provided for. The intermediate live as they do in corporation boarding-houses in our manu- facturing cities, while the steerage passengers are huddled together in close quarters, and there is nothing to brighten or cheer their hard and dis- agreeable lot. There is little or no communica- tion between the different classes. The cabin guests soon became like members of one great family, and employed themselves accord- ing to their several tastes, and there was always more or less sport among them. Among us were three young ladies from Boston or vicinity, going to teach in the seminaries at Stellenbosch, Wel- lington, and Worcester, near Cape Town, South Africa; four clergymen, — two from Philadelphia and two from Baltimore, — going to the Holy Land, one of whom I met months later in the Parliament House, London ; merchants, going abroad for a few weeks on business ; many commercial trav- ellers ; and some tourists, like myself. One of the quaintest, most original characters on board was Mr. Jones, a native of Wales, a resident in Texas, and a rancher by occupation. He had been in Texas but a few years, and had accumu- lated considerable property. A marked and pe- culiar character was our tourist. His speech and dress and looks were peculiar. He wore a broad- brimmed brown felt hat with a light band about it, and sported a heavy cane of odd shape and pat- tern, which attracted considerable attention. He 26 MR. JONES COMMANDS RESPECT. was on deck early in the morning and late at night, and during the day, pacing with long, rap- id, swinging strides from end to end, so as to prevent being sea-sick, and was successful. Mr. Jones was not an educated man, was not partic- ularly intelligent on general topics, but he had good, strong common-sense, and always kept his weather eye open. Often had he been the butt for considerable merriment amono- some of those whose manner of dress and appearance generally were more in harmony with the accepted pattern. He was evidently afraid of some ocean disaster, and the mirthful ones played upon his fears by telling him that the purser had seized a man who was on the point of blowing up the ship with dynamite. After a severe storm, they said that Jones was so much agitated that he had clan- destinely stowed away twenty-seven life-preserv- ers in his state-room, ready for an emergency. Mr. Jones heard and knew it all, kept quiet, and bided his time. It came at last. He had refused continually to join these men in their cups and games. One day, after many invitations, he united his fortunes with theirs in the smok- ing-room. Money was planked upon the table, and the game began. The excitement increased as the game progressed; champagne and claret flowed freely; but the Texan, cool, collected, swept the boards, and gathered the shekels of his tor- mentors into his own pocket. From that moment A STORM A T SEA. 2^ he commanded their respect, and also won ducats enough to pay his expenses across the ocean. We were now in the midst of the broad Atlantic. Our fleet, loyal companions, the sea-gulls, still bore us company. The ponderous shafts of the ship's engines kept up their ceaseless motion, hour after hour, day after day, without a moment's rest since we left New York harbor. In the far distance a sail would occasionally be seen, causing a breeze of excitement ; and the passengers were all on deck when we met a steamer of the "White Star Line," bound from Antwerp to New York, and signals were exchanged. There was much enthu- siasm among the passengers of the two ships, and wavino- of handkerchiefs. To me, one of the grandest sights on earth is the ocean in a storm. I had stood upon the shore with the winds blowing from an angry sea, and the waves lashing themselves in foam against rocky cliffs, and enjoyed beyond expression the grandeur of the scene ; but it had never been my lot to be upon the ocean when the thunders crashed, when lightnings flashed, and the waves ran high. That joy was to come. The scene was vivid, and will be a memory till life's close. The morning was bright and sunny, but in the afternoon the sky was overspread with dark, threateninpf clouds. The ocean became rouo-h and choppy. Darkness increased, and the low mutterings in the distance proclaimed the vio- 28 THE NIGHTS GREAT DARKNESS. lence of the coming storm. In the night it burst upon us in all its fury. Rain fell in tor- rents. At 3 A. M, a long shrill whistle was heard, and the tramp of hurrying feet on deck. It was the call for the sailors to go aloft and reef the sails. Then those sons of the sea, in the pitchy darkness only as it was relieved by the lights upon the ship, in the blinding rain, climbed the dizzy height, went out upon yard-arms, and reefed the sails. The storm increased : our great, staunch, heavily laden ship was tossed about like a cork upon the waters. It was now up upon a wave, now down in the trough of the sea, now sidewise as with a quivering motion it would dip its side, a great sea would strike it and vast volumes roll over the hurricane deck. Running high was the sea, but the good ship sped on its way in the darkness, over tempestuous billows, enveloped with water and spray, as it was smitten with the storm and heavy seas. The blackness of the night, the sad moaning of the ocean, the roar- ing of the storm, the falling rain, the howling of the wind through the vessel's rio-Sfinof, and the occasional flashes of lightning, united in making the scene one of terrific grandeur, and an experi- ence to be remembered always. " I stood in the night's great darkness, And heard the calling sea : Ever and ever 't was speaking Out of its heart to me." The night passed away, so did the storm, and SABBATH SERVICES. 29 as upon the Galilean sea, calm was upon the troubled waters. On the Sabbath the crew in different parts of the ship were reviewed by the captain. Reli- gious services of the Church of England were holden in the cabin at lo a. m., attended by the crew and most of the passengers, and conducted by the captain, the oldest officer and admiral of this steamship line. He was a fine, courteous gentleman, modest, unassuming, and as brave an officer as ever trod the deck of a ship. He had followed the seas more than fifty years, and had crossed the ocean several hundred times. This was a British vessel, commanded by British offi- cers, manned by a British crew, sailing under the British flag; but the passengers were largely Americans. In the prayers read for those in authority, the name of the President of the Uni- ted States was coupled with that of the Queen of Great Britain. The captain made interesting remarks in behalf of the Home for the children of sailors lost at sea, and for which a collection was taken. Days with their monotony passed away, and on Thursday, March 6, after a stiff breeze and heavy storms for two days, it was apparent that we were nearing land. Soundings were taken, and water was found to be 150 fathoms deep. This was a perilous part of the journey. Captain and officers were upon the bridge, the whistles were kept 30 IN SIGHT OF LAND. continually blowing, and the ship moved cau- tiously and slowly through the fog and wind and rain. At 2 p. m. a shout was heard, " Land in sight!" and through the thick fog and mist, " O'er the wild waves appearing, We saw the green hills of Old Erin." These were upon the southern coast of Ireland, and were welcomed with joy, as all were glad to behold land once again. On Thursday, March 6, at 2 : 30 p. m., we pass- ed Fastenet Light, and signals were exchanged. It was said that in fifteen minutes it would be known in New York that the City of Chicago had passed that point, and that the afternoon papers of that place, more than three thousand miles away, would inform their readers that it had crossed the great ferry in safety. This Light, a circular shaft of considerable height, is a vigilant, constant sentinel on a dangerous, rock -bound coast. It stands two or three miles from the main land, upon a bold, black, jagged, precipitous ledge of rock, of sloping and perpen- dicular sides. Against the many broken frag- ments of ledge at its base the water in a high sea is dashed with the greatest fury, throwing huge volumes of white waves and spray high into the air. So were passed many interesting points. The sloping hillsides were distinctly visible with their scattered habitations. Many ships were now QUEENSTOWN. 3^ about us. Darkness cast its black mantle over the earth as we entered the beautiful sheltered harbor of Queenstown. It is one of the best and most lovely in the world. High hills surround it, and their steep sides, from the edge of the water to their summits, are covered with pleasant homes, which on this dark evening were lit up by thousands of lights, which shed bright, cheerful gleams over the calm waters of the bay. The tug-boat came to us, bearing the mayor of Cork and other officials to receive the bodies of Mr. Col- Hns and his mother, and give them proper honor and burial. After bidding my ship companions farewell, for most went to Liverpool, I landed at Queenstown. "A passage perilous maketh a port pleasant." It cost me several dollars to run the gauntlet of the servants before I left the vessel. All had to be "tipped," from the steward to the boot-black; and this was but the commencement of my sor- rows in this respect on the other side of the Atlantic. I passed the customs with no difficulty, and was thankful to be once more on solid land, after ten days of perpetual sea, ten days of being " Rocked in the cradle of the deep," ten days of "A life on the ocean wave," which was quite enough for me. CHAPTER II. IRELAND. I^UEENSTOWN is an interesting city, built upon the Island of Saints. I climbed the steep ascent to the cathedral, from which is a full view of the harbor and bay. Spike island lies opposite, with its forts and troops, and over them all was proudly floating the flag of Great Britain. Everything seemed strange, and the manner of doino- thines was different from ours. Much of the jobbing and teaming is done by small boys, with donkeys hitched to clumsy two-wheeled carts with shafts which protrude several feet in the rear, the driver always sitting upon the right shaft. I was going northward, and wished to check my baggage through to a main point. The officers never give checks, and it cannot be done. In the United States, if a party is journeying from Bos- ton to Chicago, Omaha, or San Francisco, he can check his baggage to those points, take his little brass plate, with its number, and days afterward, by calling at the proper station and presenting it, his baggage is turned over to him, and he is not annoyed by any care of his luggage during the long journey. This, and many conveniences per- CARE OF LUGGAGE. 33 fectly familiar to Americans, are wholly unknown in the British isles. There is nothing in their system like ours, and an American misses pain- fully the home comforts of travelling", and is an- noyed and indignant at the conservatism he meets upon the other side. The care and respon- sibility for the transportation of one's property rests entirely with the traveller. A porter ap- proaches you : you tell him where you are go- ing : he places your luggage upon a truck, sees that a printed paper with the place of your des- tination printed upon it is pasted upon the trunk, deposits it in the luggage van or compartment of the carriage in which one is to ride. A tip compensates the porter, whose great deference awakens one's suspicions that he has been unnec- essarily liberal. The servants abroad are, as a rule, honest, trusty, obliging, and faithful, but their air of servility is anything but pleasing to an American ; and the idea of having to watch and look after one's baggage, in a journey through a foreign land, is perfectly ridiculous. When you arrive in a large city, the terminus of any of the great railways of Great Britain, the baggage is put carefully upon the platform as soon as the train stops, and each traveller picks out his own. There is nothing, except his own promptness and attention to business, to prevent another from claiming and carrying it off. It is fortunate that the people there are honest. I never knew of any 34 ON THE RIVER LEE. baggage being stolen or lost by this reprehensible style of doing things, or not doing them. One cannot help thinking what a harvest some ex- pert railroad thief of the West could reap in Great Britain ! Yet this whole method of public con- veyance is so at enmity with our ideas of protec- tion, comfort, and convenience, that it fills one with indignation for the conservatism of their rail- road officials, and the annoyances of their primi- tive system of travelling. This was another of the unpleasant things incident to foreign travel. Cork is twelve miles from Queenstown, and is reached by rail, or by boat "up the pleasant wa- ters of the river Lee." The sail on the river is enchanting. Its quiet loveliness, the green fields, the high and precipitous sides of the hill on which Queenstown is built, its sides covered with walks, drives, terraces with evergreen shrubbery, and the whole, dotted with beautiful homes, makes the way delightful. We passed many points of great beauty before reaching Cork, each apparently excelling all others. On the passage I met the American consul at Oueenstown, and we went to Cork together. He is an agreeable gentleman, from Ohio. He tendered me courtesies which a lack of time compelled me to decline. Some people like Cork. I do not. To me it is far from being an interesting city. Like its name, which signifies a swamp, the business part is swampy, disagreeable, and repulsive. BLARNEY CASTLE. 35 Here is St. Ann's, or Shandon, church, begun in 1722. It is a plain structure. The steeple, three sides of which are built of limestone, the fourth of red stone, is 120 feet high. The Shan- don bells are no more musical than many others, but Rev. Francis Mahoney has made them immor- tal. By his sweet lines he has thrown around them a glamour, and made their music celebrated the world over. He says, — " With deep affection And recollection I often think on Those Shandon bells, Whose sound so wild would, In the days of childhood, Fling round my cradle Their magic spells." I hastened on to Blarney casde, five miles from Cork, a place renowned in history, legend, and song. It was built in the fifteenth century, and was anciently the home of the McCarthys, whose immense pos- sessions were confis- cated in the troubled period of 1689. I^ is one of the most picturesque ruins in T 1 J T^u r. Blarney Castle. Ireland. Ihe mas- sive tower rises 120 feet in height, and, with walls 36 THE GROVES OF BLARNEY. eight or ten feet in thickness, is very sohd and enduring, with a lower portion of less substantial proportions. The guide showed me in, and ex- plained the different parts. I ascended to its summit, and looked over its outer wall. In the clear light of that bright day I could see the coun- try for miles around. It was the 7th of March, and the fertile fields were as green as they are in New England in June. At the base of the cas- tle a river runs through the rich lowlands. Sit- ting on the summit, I wrote several postals to friends on this side of the sea. It was a sunny afternoon. The rooks, or jack-daws, which are very abundant and flew in great numbers about me, were quite tame, and made the air resonant with their voices. The ruins are thickly covered with the Irish ivy. The Blarney stone, of world- wide celebrity, which imparts to the one who kisses it the persuasive gift of eloquence, was inspected and saluted by me, but not kissed. The opera- tion was considered too hazardous, as one must be lowered by his heels from a dizzy height in or- der to do it. The Groves of Blarney are justly celebrated. The trees are abundant, tall and stately, and their large trunks are green with moss, or covered with the clinging, dark green tendrils of the Irish ivy. The flowers "That spontaneous grow there" are sweet and abundant. The moss-covered walks yield like a carpet beneath one's tread. The \ KILLARNEY. 37 underlying basis of the earth is of a hmestone formation, in which are the caves. I went through them, explored the dungeons of the casde, wandered through the far-famed groves, saw the charming waters, and was delighted with it all. At night I reached the Lakes of Killarney, hav- ing passed through some of the most mountain- ous sections of the county of Kerry. The coun- try is very poor, large sections are mountainous, or swampy, and hundreds of acres are mere peat bogs. In some parts are great piles of rocks and stone walls, like what we see in New England. I registered at the Railway hotel. It was a fine house under excellent management. The grounds are laid out artistically, with gravelled walks, beds of flowers, and trees of rare quality and kind. There is much to please the eye and gratify one's love for the beautiful. Ireland is well termed the Emerald Isle. In the southern sections, everything seemed to be green, from the grass to the trunks of the trees and the picket fences. This was the appearance of things at Killarney. The morning after my arrival was cool, clear, and bright. The high mountains of Kerry were white with snow, and looked bleak and wintry in the distance. Killarney has 5,000 inhabitants, has long, straggling streets, "and smells to heav- en." Its people drink a vast amount " of the 432589 38 BEAUTIFUL ESTATES. dark beverage of hell." and this, with the rapa- ciousness of landlords, keeps them exceedingly poor. Taking a guide and an Irish jaunting-car, we Jl started for an inspection of the j^i^^^T^ lakes. Passing out of the village, ^1^^^^^^ past the habitations of the poor, "^^^^^^^^ past the fine estates of wealthy Jaunting Car. landlords, with their parks for game, and houses of the game-keepers, past groves, finely laid out fields, and palatial homes, we rode for miles on the highway, where the mortar-faced walls at the sides are from five to ten feet hieh. and are so solid and well constructed that almost literally nothing of the beauties and luxuriance of the enclosed lands can catch the eye of the poor inhabitants or of the tourist. Truly the landlords of Ireland have deprived the people of everything except poverty, and of that there is an abundance. The ereat estates here are those of the Earl of Kenmare and of Vix. Herbert. Everything indicates the British spirit of exclusiveness. The high walls shut the proprietors in, and shut every one else out. The contrast between w^hat is with- in and what is without is great. Wealth, elegant mansions, magnificent domains, with greenness and fertility, are shut in : without is poverty, wretchedness, and misery, in the domiciles of the people. The people are mostly tenants at will, MUCKROSS ABBEY. 39 and have very little motive to work. Though the Earl of Kenmare and other landlords may have thousands of acres for game, yet an Irish laborer, though he were a saint on earth, could not buy an inch of land. The game fares well, but the people may starve. Thus it is in Ireland. Everything for the few, woe for the many. God speed the day when this wicked, cruel system may be broken up ! Two miles from Killarney we entered the mag- nificent estate of J\Ir. Herbert, M. P. for County Kerry. As one passes towards the lake he will observe on a knoll, and among the trees, a pictur- esque and charm- ing ruin. It is the Abbey of Muck- ross. Founded in 1440, repaired in 1602, it consisted of an abbey and church. The clois- ters belonging to the abbey are in the form of a piazza surrounding a large court- yard, nearly square, in the centre of which is a yew tree of large proportions. Many of the rooms are in fair preser\'ation. A church-yard is there, where are many old and new stones bearing illustrious names. There silently sleep some of the O'Sullivans, McCarthys, and Herberts. The 40 LAKES OF KILLARNEY. old bramble-covered yard is paved with tomb- stones of those who died long ago. A graveyard is one of the most interesting places in the world to visit. People always go there. Do they de- rive an unconscious pleasure from the thought that sometime they will rest there ? I wandered among these graves, so near the roofless old abbey, and read the inscriptions upon the stones, and mused of those who rested so quietly beneath the grass and brambles. Diverging from the abbey in various directions are the broad avenues which led to it, still in splendid condition, green with luxuriant grass, and shaded by old and stately trees. The mansion of the pres- ent Mr. Herbert is built of light stone, and for situation and state- liness of structure can hardly be surpassed. We took a tour of the lakes over a fine hard road, saw the lofty moun- tains about whose summits hung the drifting clouds. The Eagle's Nest rears its head seven hundred feet above the waters. I went to the connecting link of the two lakes, called the " Meeting of the Waters." Tom Moore's lines come to me : " There is not in the wide world a valley so sweet As that vale in whose bosom the bright waters meet." CROMWELUS BRIDGE. 4 1 I do not .like landlordism, as it exists in Great Britain to-day, nor the laws by which it is bol- stered up. The system is doomed to destruc- tion at no distant time, and may a bloodless revolution speedily accomplish this result. It is a serious offence for one to cut so much as a walking-stick on the domains of the landlords. I rejoice in saying that I violated the precious and divine rights of a landlord by cutting and carrying through Europe, and finally to my home in New Hampshire^ a stick of arbutus, which I now have, as a cane. If this sketch should ever meet the eye of Mr. Herbert, it might afford him some gratification to know that I cut it upon his land, and that it is a good specimen. After committing this heinous offence, I inspected the antiquated structure called the " Old Wier bridge," and also Cromwell's bridge, Cromwell was a plain, blunt, outspoken man. He said what he meant, and enforced rigidly what he said. He was a progressive man, and believed in adopting all the improvements of the age in which he lived. He had no charity for stupidity, nor any sympathy for the thriftless manner of doing things, or, rath- er, of not doing them, in Ireland. When he was at Killarney, he was greatly annoyed because there was no bridge at a certain point. He did not like the plan of having to wade through deep waters, when a bridge would enable his army, with artil- lery, to pass such a point with ease and comfort. 3 42 MARKET-DAY AT KILLARNEY. So he told the Irish to build a bridge — to build it quick, and build it strong; and as a clincher to his command, he said if it was not completed when he returned he would hang an Irishman for every hour he was delayed. They knew he would keep his word, and the bridge was built. Would that there were many Cromwells in Great Britain to- day, to strike the spirit of progress into its peo- ple ! Saturday is a weekly market-day at Killarney, and the railroads carry at reduced rates great num- bers of people who flock into the city. Hundreds came by trains, bringing what produce they could carry, and after disposing of it, getting goods for family use, getting liquor and getting drunk, and cursing the British government, they took the cars for their homes. Many hundreds more came into the city with little donkey carts, carrying loads of hay, straw, or any kind of produce they wished to sell. They congregated in the market-place, and sold before the going down of the sun. Saun- tering through it and among the people, I was able to appreciate the situation. I had seen one side of the picture, — the domains of the wealthy, and their peaceful, lovely homes, where no want ap- peared to be unsupplied : here was the other side. I went among the Irish cabins, such as the ma- jority of the native Irish live in throughout Ire- land. They are, as a rule, some fifteen feet in IRISH CABINS. 43 leneth and ten feet wide, built in a loose manner of cobble-stone, and many times without mortar. Some have a pane of glass for a window, and some do not, and the whole is covered with a roof of thatch. The cold ground is the only floor, and their only fire is made of peat. I entered them, cold, narrow, and cheerless as they were, and have seen the wife and mother, scantily clothed in rags, trying to cook over the peat fire, and the numer- ous children huddling about her with their knees protruding from ragged trousers, and their little bare feet red, aching, and sore from the cold. A broken bench or stool answered for a chair. The homes are the abodes of filth, squalor, and unhap- piness. Such homes as these are plentiful in Kil- larney, and worse ones are in many other places. On the south-west coast, the families, with hogs and other animals, share the same miserable hut. Such are not exceptional cases : there are multi- tudes of them. The poverty and wretchedness seen upon every side in this fair land awaken very deeply one's sympathies, and make him sad and sick at heart. Hon. Arthur Livermore, U. S. consul at Londonderry, told me of a very pathetic scene which he witnessed. He was called upon to take the affidavit of a man who was upon his death-bed. He went to the home of the party — such a home as I have described. There were two apartments. The dying man was in the smaller one, some five feet in width, totally dark, 44 ^ DEVOUT IRISHMAN. there being' no window, and the darkness only reheved when the attending- daughter entered with her flickering Hght. He was lying upon a bed, if such it could be called, made by sticking rude poles into the stone walls, over which was thrown some loose straw. There was hardly room for one to stand between his couch and the wall. Mr. Livermore talked with him, and took his affi- davit, when the sick man called for water. It was brought by the faithful daughter, when the dying man devoutly thanked God for all the blessings and comforts granted him upon his death-bed ! I was the guest of a Protestant gentleman, and was shown over his estate. He had many ten- ants, and had built for them comfortable homes. It was a cold day, and the drizzling rain was falling. Noticing several women picking stones in the field, I asked my attendant if this was a common occurrence, and what wages the women received. Yes, he said, it was common. They did the housework, and the remainder of their time was spent upon the land. They received eight pence per day, with which to provide for their families and themselves. Americans would consider these hard lines! There are two classes of people in Ireland, — those who are termed the native Irish, and those who are descendants of the Scotch and English colonists of about two hundred years ago, who RAILWAY CARRIAGES. 45 are numerous in the north of Ireland. The two classes remain almost entirely distinct. The southern part and around Killarney is settled largely by the natives. I was still at that place, and wishing to see more of the poor Irish people, one sunny afternoon I took a third class railway carriage for Mallow, forty miles aw-ay. The car was a rude affair, but strong, substantial, and would be a comfortable conveyance for cattle. In European carriages one enters at the side, and each compartment contains two seats facing each other, running crosswise of the carriage, each coach usually having three compartments entirely distinct. Many of the third class car- riages in England and on the continent are good and comfortable, but these were of a different pattern. Very thick partitions, some four feet in height, divide the compartments. My desire to see the Irish was gratified. Into these carriages they came, old men and young men, old women and young women, boys and girls and children, with dogs and jugs and baskets and large bags, and every conceivable thing from the market. Many were partially intoxicated, and there was drinking and smoking and chewing, loud talking, swearing, drunken laughter, and almost fighting. A rougher, beastlier crowd I never saw. They favored me with their society for eight miles, before we reached the station where many alighted. The guard, as conductors are called in 46 IRISH PEDIGREES. Europe, examined our tickets before starting, and, by an absurd custom in Europe, a passenger must then look out for himself till the next station is reached. He might be murdered and his body thrown from the train, and the guard would not know it. We passed many of the litde stone, thatch- roofed cottages of the poor. They are covered usually with a thick layer of rye straw, which lasts four years, when another layer will be added, until the thatch is often more than two feet in thick- ness. We passed other habitations, those of a better class, w^ith comfortable homes. These were farmers, who cultivated their farms or sub- rented to others. Birds are there considered the friends of man, are protected and quite tame. The trees about many homes were black with rooks and rookery nests. At length most of my travelling companions departed. Darkness fol- lowed the daylight, and the stars twinkled brightly over the sky-piercing summits of the mountains of Kerry. At Mallow I registered at the Railway hotel, where everything was made pleasant for me by the genial and courteous landlord, who showed me a book of Irish pedigrees by a gentleman of Dublin with whom I once corresponded. The author had traced many Irish families back to Noah without a missing link. In this age of accurate scholarship, where nothing is accepted IRISH WIT. 47 without strongest evidence, it was startling to find many of the earlier generations without a date of birth or death of the individual given to substantiate the bold statement of the person's existence. Statements unsupported by evidence is a glaring fault in some Irish works. This town is nicely situated on the Blackwater river. The houses, like those of many cities in Ireland, are of stone, covered with mortar of a light brown color mixed with coarse gravel stones, which makes them warm, tight, and inex- pensive. The streets are narrow, with narrower lanes where the poorer classes live, in such houses as have been described. These cities are far from attractive to an American. The route to Dublin lay north of Kilkenny, so famous for its cats. This is told as evidence of Irish wit. Several persons were drinking, when one by the name of Kenny took a glass of whis- key and began to drink. Unfortunately a piece of the cork had gone into the tumbler, and from the tumbler into his throat, where it stuck and nearly strangled him, when a comrade said, " Sure that is not the way to Cork !" "I know it," said the half-strangled Celt, "but its the way to kill Kenny." A ride of six hours landed me in Dub- lin". The journey was plecisant, through rare scenery, abounding with historic associations and remains of monuments, which mark a romantic and buried past. Ireland is full of such. 48 REMARKABLE RUINS. The " Devil's bit" is a cut in the mountains as sharp and distinct as if made by man. The story runs, that the devil with his imps was out for exercise one bright morning, when one of the saints passed that way, and in true Irish style raised his cane and struck the devil a fearful blow on the side of his head, when the latter in anger and agony bit out the great gap in the mountain, depositing it on the plain ten miles away, which is now the celebrated " Rock of Cashel." They are the most remarkable ruins in Ireland, and there was the home of the ancient kings of Munster, The most ancient are the Chap- el and the " Round Tower." The latter is ninety feet high, built of light sandstone, and around it were erected church edifices, now in ruins. These towers are numerous. When they were built and for what purpose is not known, as they antedate veritable history. They were probably erected for religious purposes connected with the pagan rites of the early residents of Ireland. The fathers of the Catholic church founded their abbeys and monasteries about them, which is one evi- dence that they first had a religious significance, and that the promoters of the new faith wisely grafted it upon the ancient stalk, thus following St. Paul in not shocking the prejudices of those they would lead to a purer faith. The first round tower which met my view was at Clondalkin, six miles from Dublin. It stands in SCENES IN DUBLIN. 49 the midst of a pretty village, is eio-hty-six feet in height, with a conical top such as they all have, and can be ascended from the inside by ladders. We passed Phenix park with its varied attractions in wooded vale and upland scene, and that ponderous, ungainly work of man, the monument to the Duke of Welling- ton, which has since been removed, I believe. The train whirled into the sta- tion of the Great Southern and West- ern Railway, and landed me in the old city of Dublin. It is noted for its fast cabs ; and securing a jaunting-car, I was whirled at a rattling pace round tower. to the Gresham hotel. Dublin's general appear- ance is that of a solid, substantial city, one of the past rather than of the present or the future. It has 250,000 inhabitants, but is not a live place like Belfast. The river Liftey runs through the centre of the town, and is spanned by numerous bridges. The old castle, or Dublin castle, whose name has so much political significance in these troub- lous days, is not imposing, and has nothing of the stateliness of Sterling or Edinburgh castle. The most important public buildings are the old parliament house, now the Bank of Ireland, Trinity college, founded long ago, the general post-office, custom-house, and the "Four Courts," which will be alluded to more particularly in an- 50 MONUMENTS AND PARKS. Other place. Nelson's monument is a fluted col- umn, 12 1 feet in height. From its top can be seen the Wicklow mountains on the south, the plains of Meath and Kildare on the west; and to the eastward is Dublin bay and the stretching sea. In no other city did I see so many small statues. Through one of the main streets, at regular dis- tances, were statues of public men. There were a large number of them, and they added greatly to a stranger's interest in the broad, sweeping avenue of the most famous city of Ireland. Phenix park is the "Central park" of Dublin, and occupies 1,760 acres of land. I took a jaunt- ing-car, and drove over the city as well as the park. The drives and walks are fine indeed, lead- ing through many points of artificial or natural beauty. Hundreds of deer were grazing quietly, and were undisturbed by the multitude of visitors who continually thronged the grounds. The resi- dence of the lord lieutenant of Ireland is upon the border of the park. A melancholy interest attaches to a spot on the main avenue, where some years ago Burke and Cavendish, the high- est officials of Ireland, were foully assassinated at 10 o'clock at night, when returning to their homes. This spot is seen by every visitor. When in Dublin, I spent several days in the Public Record's office, and consulted the war rolls of the soldiers of 1649 and other years. They are a curiosity, written upon parchment. OFFICIAL DISCOURTESY. 5 I rolled into great rolls nearly a foot in diameter, and very heavy. My experience there is a good illustration of the way the British officials wait upon and accommodate the people. It is quite a task to find one's way in that labyrin- thine building to the proper office. Reaching there at last, I wished for paper on which to make notes, but these officials would neither sell nor give me any, as it was against the rules. I was forced to go out upon the street, and after much searching, found some stationery. The writing is in the old court hand, elegant, yet almost impossible for an amateur to read. Upon asking one of the employes if he would read the names of those mentioned in a document under exami- nation, which was only the work of a minute, he declined. I told him he would be paid for his trouble, but he would not ; it was against the rules. He would copy the will for me. To copy that long document would cost several dollars. I declined to have it transcribed. They charge twen- ty-five cents for every will or other paper, or book, consulted. One is not permitted to use pen and ink in makino- notes. The officials are p-lad to get one's money without giving an equivalent. The whole system, — the rules, the officials, and the stupid, arbitrary government back of all, — are enough to drive an American insane. The peo- ple are legitimate plunder for the government and its officials, and they gladly plunder them every time. 52 THE FOUR COURTS. In the "Index Nominum to the Inrollments of Adjudications in Favor of the [1649] Officers, Preserved in Office of the Chief Remembrancer of the Exchequer, Dubhn," were found the fol- lowing- familiar Scotch names amongf the officers mentioned. Often there were several of the same surname, but only one of each is here given. All of these had property left them : Robert Armstrong, William Bell, Nathaniel Boyce, Lieut. Adam Boyd, Lieut. Hugh Browne, Daniel Camp- bell, John Carr, Lieut. Col. Hugh Cochrane, Thomas Fisher, Arthur Graham, John Gregg, Thomas Holmes, William Hopkins, John Hughes, William Johnston, Alexander Kinkead, James Mac Adams, Hugh Montgomery, Henry Patten, Alexander Stuart, Thomas Sympson, John Vance, Thomas Wallace, Ensign James Waugh, James Wilson, and many others. The "Four Courts" is an immense edifice. The officials are not agreeable. They would give no assistance whatever, and would not be tolerated in American offices. I was thankful when my task was through, for it had not been a pleasant one. CHAPTER III. LONDONDERRY. " Founded and fostered upon a rock, Safe it will be from storm and shock : Winds may blow from an angry sea, Steadfast through all it will ever be." fHE "old, old story" of the siege of London- derry need not be rehearsed here. Most are familiar with the tale of woe ; have read of the ereat heroism displayed by the de- fenders, of their en- durance and con- stancy amid suffer- ing, and of their final triumph, when the city was delivered July 30, 1689, which was the triumph of the Protestant cause and of William the Londonderry, Ireland. Prince of Orange. These events have been most graphically delineated by Macaulay in his History of England. 54 LONDONDERRY. The ancestors of many of the people in the Scotch settlement where my life has been mainly spent were at the siege, and participants in the stirring scenes of 1688-89, and afterwards settled in New Hampshire. My ancestors, of Scotch blood, who went from Scotland to Ireland about that time, and lived at Aghadowey, near Coleraine, were gathered in with many other Protestants, and driven beneath the city's walls by the cruel order of the French general, Conrad de Rosen, and were thus exposed to the missiles of the besieged and the besiegers. They were finally admitted within the city, and after enduring the sufferings, also shared the joy of the final triumph. They lived in the county of Londonderry, with their pastor. Rev. James McGregor, in the parish of Aghadowey, till 17 18, when the pastor and a portion of his flock, among them my ancestors, emigrated, and settled in Londonderry, N. H. It was not known on this side of the sea from what place the Rev. James McGregor and his people came, till my investigations revealed it. It was said they came from Londonderry. That is cor- rect, but it was the county and not the city of Londonderry. They came from the parish of Aghadowey, some forty miles away, where he was pastor from 1 701-17 18, when he and a portion of his flock emigrated to New Hampshire. Traditions of the siege have come down to me from my ancestors who participated in it. I knew SCO TCH PA TRONYMICS. 5 5 the history of it, and wanted to behold the locaHty. Six generations have passed away since the tri- umphant day, but in some hearts on this side of the Atlantic that event is not forgotten. I went and viewed the place, and stood upon the ancient ground. Before leaving Ulster I wished to see and meet persons who bore names which had been familiar in the new Ulster in New Hampshire. The Scotch names in New Hampshire are dupli- cated in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, North and South Carolina, and Georgia. These are familiar Scotch patronymics, well known in the New Eng- land settlement: Aiken, Alexander, Allison, An- derson, Archibald, Armour, Armstrong, Barnet, Bell, Boyd, Caldwell, Campbell, Clark, Clyde, Cochran, Davidson, Dickey, Dinsmoor, Gilmore, Gregg, Hemphill, Holmes, Hopkins, Hughes, Jameson, Johnston, Kinkead, Kyle, Mack, McCoy, McCleary, Mcllvaine, McGregor, McKeen, Mont- gomery, Morrison, Nesmith, Park, Patterson, Pinkerton, Rankin, Reid, Ritchey, Simpson, Smi- ley, Starrett, Steele, Stimson, Stuart, Templeton, Thom, Thompson, Todd, Vance, Wallace, Waugh, and others. The original name of Londonderry was Derry- Calgach, the " Oak-wood of Calgach," for Derry means "a place of oaks" or "thick wood;" Cal- gach signifies " a fierce warrior." After the tenth century it was called Derry-Columbkillc. When the city was chartered by King James I, it was 56 BATTLE OF THE BOYNE. called London-Derry, which name it has since retained. My interesting travelling companion, a Mr. Hewitt, of Lifford, county Donegal, was a son of Lord Lifford. We travelled together to Lon- donderry. Unlike many Britons, he was not only intelligent, but was very communicative. Being familiar with the country and people, he made the journey pass very pleasantly. We were whirled along rapidly, and crossed the Boyne at Drogheda. A mile away was fought, July i, 1690, the famous battle of the Boyne, which established William Prince of Orange upon the throne of Great Britain. On the side of the prince were the ancestors of many who subsequently settled in the Scotch settlements of America. An obelisk one hundred and fifty feet high marks the spot where the battle commenced. We passed through the ancient town of Dun- dalk, once fortified but now with ruined walls, where the last king in Ireland was crowned and bore sway. After the decisive victory of Ban- nockburn had secured the freedom of Scotland, Edward, brother of Robert Bruce, was crowned king of Dundalk. Two years later, in 13 18, he was killed in a battle with the English. Picturesquely situated upon our route was Newry, described by Dean Swift as consisting of " High church, low steeple, Dirty streets, and proud people." LONDONDERRY. 57 There was a fine view of the town, surrounded by towering hills. We journeyed through the counties of Louth, Armagh, Down, Tyrone, and touched Doneeal. Some sections throuo-h which we travelled were beautiful, romantic, mountain- ous, and full of historic interest and associations. Omagh, one of the memories of the 1688-89 contest, was passed, and at length the waters of the river Foyle came in view, and at 2 p. m. we entered the world-famed town of Londonderry. It was with exceeding joy I stood upon the conse- crated ground. It seemed like getting home after a long journey, I was soon inside the walls and registered at the Imperial hotel, in the heart of the rare old city. Londonderry, Ireland, is in the county of the same name, and built on a hill which rises 119 feet from the water. The river Foyle surrounds it upon three sides. The hill is covered with houses of various styles, and on the summit is the celebrated cathedral, with its lofty spire, where worshipped the Episcopalians and the Presbyterians at different hours of the day dur- ing the defence of the city in 1688-9. ^^ i^ ^^^^ most interesting town in Ireland, begirt with walls solid, stern, and picturesque as those of any ancient city. My impatience to see it was very great. In a brief time after my arrival I was inspecting the town. Passing through the Dia- mond, the central open square or market-place, to 58 INTERESTING OBJECTS. Ship Quay gate, and mounting the walls, I passed completely around the old city. They are some fourteen feet in height, and wide enough to drive two teams abreast. There were originally several gates, among them Ship Quay gate near the river. Bishop's at the opposite side of the town, New gate and Ferry gate at either side of the town. It was Ferry gate which the apprentice boys closed so suddenly, and thus prevented the entrance of King James's men, who had crossed the river for that purpose. This act committed the city to the fortunes of King William. The river has been drained away, its bed filled, and the whole is covered with buildings. Directly on the opposite side, near the New gate, is an ancient brick house, where once lived James Morrison, who is mentioned by Macaulay as standing upon the walls at the siege and calling to his comrades to "Bring a big gun!" when the Irish soldiers beneath him scampered away. It was my privilege to meet one of his descendants. Other gates have been added to the walls, which would afford only a slight protection to the enginery of mod- ern warfare. A very interesting object is Walker's Pillar, erected 1826-28, to perpetuate the mem- ory of the illustrious George Walker and other noble men who were active in the defence of the city. It is a handsome Doric column, surmounted by a statue. The first stone was laid December 18, 1826, and completed August, 1828. It stands THE BROKEN BOOM. 59 upon the walls overlooking a deep valley, and upon its base are inscribed the names of some of the city's brave defenders. After ascending the steps inside, one reaches the walk around the top, and has an excellent sight of the city and the country around. On the hill opposite was encamped the army of King James. A mile to the right is Magee college, and two miles away is the shallow part of the Foyle, where the sand-bars extend so far into the river that the enemy stretched across a boom to prevent ships with supplies from reach- ing the suffering people. The channel was nar- row, and the vessels going with great force against it, the boom broke and the city was saved. This place of 30,000 people has greatly out- grown its former limits, and the new portion is quite attractive. The old part is not pleasing, and only its rare historic associations make it of interest to the traveller. The town hall is un- interesting, and is not kept in order. The public libraries are primitive in their arrangement, the books old and antiquated. One valuable work of government surveys, illustrated with costly charts, contained maps of Londonderry in 1688 and 1788. The obliging attendant very kindly removed them from the book and gave them to me ! Wishing to consult the records of the ancient church, which were in the cathedral, and under the control of the Lord Bishop, it was necessary for me to call at the palace, when my card was 6o MRS. ALEXANDER. sent in by the valet, and I was very cordially received by "My Lord" the Right Rev. William Alexander, D. D. He is an exceedingly genial man, simple as a child, with an open, kind, and benevolent counte- nance. He has brilliant attainments: is a clever writer of prose, and a poet of no mean order. As a speaker he is eloquent, possessing unbounded enthusiasm. He has a vivid imagination ; and his illustrations, drawn from extensive reading and kept ready for use by a retentive memory, are apt and poetical. Before the disestablishment of the Irish Episcopal church, in 1869, he held a seat in the British House of Lords. He is a Tory in politics, and a landlord in a small way; conse- quently he is not an admirer of the "grand old man," William E. Gladstone. Being an American, and supposed to be as ignorant of British politics as the average Briton is of American affairs, an excellent opportunity was presented for getting his views by asking him a few leading questions. His wife is the gifted poet, Mrs. Cecil F. Alexan- der, the writer of religious hymns sung in thou- sands of churches every Sunday, on each side of the Atlantic. She is the author of one of the sweetest, smoothest poems in the English tongue, which is known wherever the English language is spoken. It is "The Burial of Moses." HOME OF THE POET. 6 1 "And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Beth- peor, but no man knoweth the place of his sepulchre unto this day."— Deut. XXXIV: 6. " By Nebo's lonely mountain, On this side Jordan's wave, In a vale in the land of Moab, There lies a lonely grave ; And no man dug that sepulchre. And no man saw it e'er, For the angel of God upturned the sod. And laid the dead man there." This was familiar, as were many of her hymns. It seemed strange that one who had read and admired her writings so much, Hving upon the other side of the ocean, knowing nothing of her personal history nor of her place of residence, should cross the Atlantic, and in visiting a place made sacred to him by the sufferings of his fore- fathers, should enter the house and home of the gifted and sweet-singing author. This was alluded to in conversation with the Bishop, and regret expressed that she could not be met, as she was then in England. The interview was exceedingly enjoyable. An invitation to lunch, on a subsequent day, I was unable to accept. He gave me a letter to Dean Smiley, and placed the records of the cathedral at my disposal. He also kindly urged upon me the loan of two books, — the History of the Alexander Family. Upon consulting them, what was my sur- prise to find that the author was the Rev. Charles Rodgers, LL. D., of Grampian Lodge, Forest Hill, London, to whom I had once been referred for 62 THE FAMOUS CATHEDRAL. information. A rather stilted, curt reply was writ- ten me, with the statement that if I would send him ^lo he would give me the information. The book, like the work of many British professional genealogists, was poorly gotten up, and reflected no great credit on the author. Dean Smiley called upon me at the hotel, and very kindly invited me to make use of his private study while consulting the records. He showed me over the celebrated cathedral, where my an- cestors, with other Protestants, worshipped during the siege. How it thrilled me as I stood within the consecrated walls of that house where they had so often gathered, whose floor had been pressed by their feet, whose walls had heard the words of their religious teachers, echoed with their sup- plications in times of grief and disaster, and re- sounded with their words of thanksg-ivino- and songs of praise in the hour of their supremest joy and great deliverance ! There was the elegant and elaborately carved organ, upon which they had looked, and to whose music they had listened, — unless their stern Presbyterian hearts, as might be the case, discountenanced instrumental music in their worship. The old flagstaffs, captured from the French, hang above the altar. Though the church has been renovated, yet the same high arches as in 1688 are still there. In the vestibule is the hollow bomb discharged into the city by King James, in which were his demand for the GENEALOGICAL DIFFICULTIES. 63 surrender of the town and his terms for its capit- ulation. It was a great privilege and pleasure to visit the place, and attend service within its walls. Its very floor seemed to echo with the tread of by- gone generations, and its walls to speak to every sensitive, poetical soul, of grand, heroic, glorious memories. From the records of the baptisms, marriages, and burials of this parish of Templemore, I copied several pages relating to family names familiar on this side of the sea — down to 1740. There were the names of Allison, Anderson, Armstrong, Bar- net, Barr, Bell, Bolton, Boyd, Caldwell, Campbell, Clendennin, Cochran, Cunningham, Davidson, Dunbar, Fisher, Hopkins, Holland, Hunter, Jack, Kerr, Kile, Kinkead, McAllister, Mitchell, Mont- gomery, Morrison, Moore, Nesmith, Orr, Park, Patterson, Patton, Pinkerton, Ramsey, Rankin, Read, Rogers, Simpson, Steele, Stuart, Thorn, Thompson, Vance, Wallace, and Wilson. There is great difficulty in connecting families in America with families in Ireland, especially if any considerable length of time has elapsed since the emigration to this country. The larger part of the people were tenants, and not land-owners, and so cannot be traced, as here, by the records of transfer of real estate. In Ireland and in England all the business done by probate judges in the New England states, such as the jurisdiction ol 64 FAMILY RECORDS. wills and the administration of the estates of in- testates, was with the bishops of the church estab- lished and recognized by law, — sometimes the Roman Catholic, and later the Episcopal church; and this continued till a few years after the com- mencement of Queen Victoria's reign. No law was in existence — or none was enforced — requir- ing the record and dates of marriages, births, and deaths to be kept, till within forty years. The only possible chance now to find anything of value is occasionally to get a record kept by some method- ical and conscientious Catholic priest or Presby- terian clergyman, and which may be unearthed in some unlooked for locality. Wishing to find lists, if possible, of emigrants who had come to New England between 17 18 and 1740, I went to the oldest shipping-houses in Londonderry, Coleraine, Port Rush, Belfast, and Glasgow, and looked in all other probable and improbable places, to get such intelligence; but not a particle could be obtained. A letter ad- dressed to the Board of Trade elicited this reply: Board of Trade, Marine Department. Whitehall Gardens, S. W. London, loth April, 1884. EMIGRATION. Sir: — I am directed by the Board of Trade to acknowledge the receipt of 3"our letter of the 5th instant, asking for information respecting lists of emigrants who sailed for America between the years 1718 and 1740; and in reply, to inform you that, so BEAUTIFUL ABODE OF THE DEAD. 65 far as the Board are aware, there are no such lists in existence. I am, Sir, Your obedient servant, J. SWANSTON. Leonard A. Aforrtson, Esq., General Post- Office, Glasgow. One delightful Sunday afternoon I took a stroll through the Bishop's gate, and met a squad of the " Salvation army," with its shouting, its jubilant songs, and its waving banners, and passed down a sharply descending street, on either side of which were the wretched homes of the very poor. In the valley is a private park of a Mr. Holmes, who showed me over his grounds. There were large trees heavily covered with Irish ivy, and the walks were finely laid out: the cottage in the midst of the garden, surrounded by differing shrubs of the greenest green, and the beds of flowers, made it a delightful place. Passing on, the ascending ground soon touched the location of the ceme- tery. It covers thirty acres, and is artistically laid out on the sloping hillside, overlooking the dark waters of the river Foyle, and commanding a view of the city. Walker's pillar, the cathedral, and the shipping in the harbor. Catholics and Protestants are buried there, though the former occupy a part by themselves. The day was warm, clear, and sun- ny; and several hours were spent in examining lots, walks, and monuments. Many familiar patro- nymics were found upon the memorial tablets. There were the names of Clark, Ramsay, Gilmorc, 66 HOME OF CONSUL LIVERMORE. and others. I wandered among the mounds of earth, thought of the quiet sleepers, and mused on the wonderful history of those localities. When the declining sun was touching the hill- tops and cathedral spire with his last beams, and deeper shadows rested upon the Foyle, I de- parted for the city, going to the Strand, by the market and the soldiers' barracks, past the post- office to Foyle street, to Jewry hotel, and across the city to Bishop street, where I met the Hon. Arthur Livermore, U. S. consul, with Mrs. Liver- more, who invited me to accompany them to an evening service in the cathedral, where Bishop Alexander preached a very able sermon on the ''Lost son." After service, a pleasant evening was spent at their lovely home. Their residence is delightfully situated, in the new section of the city, not far distant from the spot where, in 1689, the boom was stretched across the Foyle. Mr. Livermore is a son of the late Chief-Justice Liver- more of New Hampshire, and in 1884 had been consul for thirteen years. He still retains an abid- ing and lively interest in his native state. Mrs. Livermore presides charmingly over their hospit- able home, at which I was a frequent visitor ; and should this sketch meet their eyes, they will know how fully I appreciated their great kindness, — with that of her brother, Mr. Robert Prince, a former resident of Lowell, Mass. Many of the customs of the British government THE LUDICROUS COURT. 6/ seem absurd. The court of assizes was to be opened in the city. A squad of mounted con- stabulary met the judge at the railway station, escorted him to his lodgings, and waited until he was prepared to go to the court-house. Two sen- tinels pace back and forth all day long in front of the house of the judge. Wanting to see this ludicrous scene, I repaired to the court-house and awaited the coming of the great genius who was to preside in their little court in that contempti- ble litde court-room. A loud murmur showed that the illustrious ones were drawing near. A line of people stood on either side with uncovered heads. The sheriff was there with his brilliant equipage. The mayor dressed in official robes, and others with velvet breeches and knee-buckles and staffs of office, were about us. The judo-e and lawyers came, with powdered wigs and clad in robes. With much "fuss and feathers" they got the judge into his box in the court-house. And such a court-house ! It would not be tol- erated in New England, and is a disgrace to any civilized community. It was as primitive in de- sign and architecture as though it had been taken bodily out of Noah's ark. But anything ancient, disagreeable, unhandy, and generally old-fashion- ed and uncomfortable, is very dear and precious in the eyes of the majority of Britons! It must have cost somebody at least one hundred and fifty dollars to have taken the judge from the sta- 68 THE SHAMROCK AND ORANGE. tion to the court-house. Some one pays for it ; and this expense eventually comes out of the people. It was senseless snobbery. No wonder the people are poor, and complain of government taxes. The time is rapidly coming when these abuses will be rectified. On St. Patrick's day, March 17, trouble was apprehended. The Nationalists advertised a dem- onstration, or, rather, the Catholics were going to celebrate, and would make a political demonstra- tion of it. The Protestants, or Orangemen, con- cluded to have a counter-demonstration. When such things occur, more or less Irishmen remem- ber the day by broken heads. The government stopped both demonstrations, A large body of Irish constabulary were called into the city, who patrolled the walls and streets. The people were uneasy and waspish. The shamrock and the or- ange blossom were worn by thousands, but the day passed without trouble. Upon the walls I met a magnificent member of the constabulary from the county of Donegal. He was six feet four and a half inches in height, and heavily built. In answer to an inquiry if he was a sample of the men in Donegal, he said he was so diminutive in stature that he could command no respect in his father's family ; that he had four brothers who were each six feet five and a half inches in height, and heavier than he proportionately. On the way to Omagh and Enniskillen, the I RUIArS ON DEVENISH ISLAND. 69 thick black clouds hung over the mountains of Donegal, and soon the rain and hail beat fiercely against the roof and sides of the carriage. This was not long continued, for the sun broke through the clouds, and the day again became clear and cheerful. It is never safe to travel without an umbrella. It may be bright sunshine, and in ten minutes black clouds will obscure the sky, and the rain be falling rapidly. Enniskillen was an important town during the war of 1688-89, and contains 5,000 people. Some portions are interesting, and the important relics of the past are the Round tower and the remains of an old abbey, which are of great interest. They are situated on Devenish island, in Lower Lough Erne, two and a half miles from the city. Devenish is beautifully green. The Round tower is eighty-four feet high, forty-eight feet in circum- ference, and its walls are nearly three and a half feet thick. The door is nine feet from the ground. The tower is neatly built of stones about a foot square, with scarcely any mortar or cement, while the inside is perfectly smooth. Near by are the ruins of the abbey, and the two church-yards are filled with debris, tumbled down walls, and broken monuments. At Enniskillen I made the acquaintance of a family of Morrisons, in which familiar Christian names appeared. The evening was spent at the 70 THE ENNISKILLEN MORRISONS. home of Mrs. Hamilton Morrison. The ancestors of this family were at the siege in 1688-89. The family is very intellig-ent. One of its members is a writer of religious hymns, and a portion of one is here introduced. JESUS. BY WILLIAM HENRY MORRISON. Jesus, Lord and Master, At thy feet I bow, And my soul doth cast her Self upon thee now. Jesus, all excelling. Lend a gracious ear. By thy love expelling Every doubt and fear. And my soul shall bless thee All my happy days. And I shall confess thee Lord, in all my ways, — Till, when death the story Of my life shall end, I shall see thy glory, Jesus, Master, Friend ! Coleshill, Enniskillen, Ireland. From Enniskillen to Ballyshannon the scen- ery is lovely. The waters of Lough Erne, the Windermere of Ireland, with old castles upon its banks, have many attractions. On the opposite side of the lake are the mountains of Leitrim. These were lit up with the glories of the sunset as we passed by them. My stay at the unpleas- BARNESMORE GAP. 7 1 ant town of Ball3-shannon was short. On Sunday I attended the Episcopal church, whose pastor is Rev. Mr. Cochran, a member of a family resident in Ireland since 1688 or 1689, at least. The jour- ney was continued fourteen miles by jaunting-car to Donegal, which is romantically situated on the west coast. The harbor is beautiful, with its islands rising out of the waters. There are ruined cas- tles, which Cromwell destroyed. The old castle of Donegal, once the family seat of the O'Don- nells, is interesting. Here is pointed out the monastery in which was written the "Annals of the Four Masters." Like most Irish towns, Don- egal has an excellent market-place, shaped like a diamond. I had a pleasant interview with Rev. Robert M. Morrison, of the Enniskillen family. The road from Donegal to Londonderry leads through some of the wildest scenery in Ireland. We rode through the romantic pass of " Barnes- more gap," a deep, ragged glen, four miles long, walled in by mountains rising 1,700 feet — one of the most magnificent defiles in Ireland. On one side the mountains, rough, bold, and bare, rose hundreds of feet above us. Beneath us was the valley, through which a river rushed over its rocky bed, singing a sweet song, the universal music of rushing waters. Beyond the river, and higher up, was the highway, while towering above it were the heathery mountains. On high elevations were vast plains of peat beds, many feet in depth. Ire- 72 THE PARKS. land is full of them, and they look as bare and brown and desolate as though they marked the place of vanished seas. In the Scotch settlement at Upper Octorara, Chester county, Penn., were many persons of the Scotch name of Park. The same is true of the Scotch settlement of Windham, N. H. — a family intellectually strong in each settlement. The late Dr. John Park, and his son, Hon. John C. Park, of Boston, are distinguished representatives of the latter family. Each family, originally Scotch, emigrated from Ireland to America. On March 27 I left Londonderry for St. Johnston, to see the Parks, and found three families. The Chris- tian names of James, Robert, Alexander, and others of the New Hampshire family, cropped out there in each generation. I saw Mr. James Park, very aged ; and Robert John Park, a bright, clear- headed young man of twenty-five years of age, was son of Alexander Park, and has brothers, Joseph and Robert. The Park family of New Hampshire descended from Alexander Park, who came to New Hampshire in 1728, and is one of strongly defined family looks and mental charac- teristics. This Mr. Park had the same eyes, the same complexion, and the same family looks; and the name of Alexander has been a prominent one in his family, as in the New Hampshire family, for generations. While the connection between the families could not be proven, it most certainly LAST GLIMPSE OF LONDONDERRY. 73 existed. There are many of the name at Coleraine and at SHgo. At Londonderry I was hospitably entertained by Dr. Morrison, a graduate of Dublin University, and at the attractive home of Mr. Dean, who was connected with the families of Armstrong and Morrison. The time was at hand when my visit to Londonderry was to end. During my stay of two weeks, the great courtesy, kindness, and at- tention shown me were appreciated. Most agree- able acquaintances w^ere made, and the pleasant hours at the firesides of its people are gratefully remembered. On March 28 I started for Coleraine — left pleasant friends, the cathedral with its sky-point- ing spire, its historic arches, and the resting- places of its mighty dead; left the old walls so noted in history — and was whirled rapidly along the banks of the friendly Foyle, past the spot where the boom was stretched across the river in the war of 1688-89. I turned my eyes to catch one more view of the receding town, and with that parting glimpse the historic city faded from my view. The route lay alongside of land reclaimed from the river, and through ragged mountains pierced with short tunnels. Castle Rock was soon reached, where I was the guest of Rev. James Armstrong, of whom and the clan of Armstrong a notice will be given in my account of the Scottish border. This 4* 74 GREEN CASTLE NEAR MOVILLE. is a romantic place. The river Bann empties into the Atlantic at this point. In plain view from the high bluff was the "Green castle" near Moville. The U. S. consul at Londonderry, Mr. Livermore, had heard a sim- ple ballad concerning it sung by the Scotch peo- ple in Holderness, N. H. It had been carried to America by the Scotch settlers more than 150 years ago. Extracts from it he gave me. Having received it on the old halting ground in Ireland, it is brought again to America, and put in print as a relic, an echo of a far-away song, whose sweet- ness has not wholly died away. " On yonder high mountain a castle doth stand, All decked with green ivy from the top to the strand. * * * Beneath that high castle an ocean doth flow ; Ships from the East Indies to Derry do go, With red flags a-flying and firing of guns, Sweet instruments of music and beating of drums." In old times the East India Company annually sent a ship to Londonderry, but this custom ceased long ago. At Coleraine, on registering at the Corpora- tion Arms hotel, a cordial greeting was received from a party watching for my coming. This place on the river Bann, four miles from the ocean, has a population of 6,000. In the "diamond" is a public fountain. On one side are engraved the names of individuals: on the opposite, over the flowing stream, is this inscription, "He that drink- THE DINS MOORS. 75 eth of this water shall thirst again," etc. The place was of much interest to me, because it was a centre of country from which came the Scotch settlers of Windham, Londonderry, Antrim, New Boston, Bedford, and many other towns in New Hampshire. John Dinsmoor, the son of John Dinsmoor, a Scotchman, who had settled in County Antrim, Ireland^ came to Windham, New Hampshire, as early as 1724. His descendants are represented by the two Samuel Dinsmoors — father and son — who were governors of the state; Hon. James Dinsmoor, lawyer and author, of Sterling, 111. ; Col. Silas Dinsmoor, the celebrated Indian agent; and Hon. William B. Dinsmore, president of the Adams Express Co., of New York city. Wishing to see members of the family in Ireland, it was a pleasure to meet James Dinsmoor and sons, from Muff, a few miles from Londonderry, whose fam- ily bore the familiar names of Ephraim, James, and John. In Coleraine was James Dinsmoor and his family. He had numerous connections at Ma- cosquin, three miles away. He is connected with the Dinsmoors in New Hampshire, and is familiar with the early history of the family. In County Antrim, in the town of Kells, near Ballemena, are John and Francis Dinsmoor, linen and woollen manufacturers — intelligent, fine men, who belong to another branch of this family. At Priestland still live the Pattersons, and when 'J^ THE OLD HOME. not long since a local gentleman of note died, six tall, stalwart men of this family bore him to his rest. The New Hampshire branch which came from that place is large and influential, and is rep- resented by the silver-tongued orator, Hon. James W. Patterson, formerly U. S. senator from New Hampshire, and present superintendent of public instruction, and the late Hon. George W. Patter- son, member of congress and lieutenant-governor of New York. Aghadowey, six miles from Coleraine, is the locality from which came Rev. James McGregor and a portion of his flock to Londonderry, N. H., in 1718-19. He was settled over that parish from 1 701-17 18, when he resigned and came to America.'^ Before leaving that place he preached to his flock from Exodus 33: 15 — "If thy pres- ence go not with me, carry us not up hence." He recounted the reasons for leaving their homes, and seeking an asylum in the American wilderness, "They were to avoid oppressions and cruel bond- age, to shun persecution and designed ruin, to withdraw from the communion of idolaters, to have an opportunity of worshipping God accord- ing to the dictates of conscience and the rules of his inspired word." * See Historical and Literary Memorials of Presbyterianism in Ireland, 1623-1800, 2 vols., published in 1879 ^Y Prof. Thomas Withrow, of Magee college, Londonderry, Ireland, and History of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, 3 vols., by James Beaton Reid, D. D., which are m the state library at Concord, N. H. NOTED MEN. yy So, most intimately connected, are Aghadowey, county of Londonderry, Ireland, and Londonderry and Windham, New Hampshire. As he preached to his people on the eve of their departure from their homes in Aghadowey in 1718, so, on the 23d day of April, 1719, he spoke to his reunited flock in their new home in Londonderry, N. H. On the east side of Tsienneto lake, under the spreading branches of a great oak, he preached from Isaiah 32 : 2 — "And a man shall be as a hid- ing-place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest, as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land." The first sixteen settlers were James McKeen, John Barnet, Archibald Clendennin, John Mitchell, James Starrett, James Anderson, Randall Alexan- der, James Gregg, James Clark, James Nesmith, Allen Anderson, Robert Weir, John Morrison, Samuel Allison, Thomas Steele, John Stuart ; and later, the Rankins, Caldwells, Cochrans, Clydes, Dinsmoors, and other Morrisons. The Nesmith family of New Hampshire has had as representatives the Hon. John Nesmith, lieu- tenant-governor of Massachusetts, George W. Nesmith, LL. D., of Franklin, N. H., and Hon. James W. Nesmith, U. S. senator from Oregon. The Cochrans have noted men, and among them are the late Judge Silas M. Cochran, of Bal- timore, Md., and Rev. Warren R. Cochrane, au- thor, preacher, and poet, of Antrim, N. H, 78 FAMILIAR NAMES. Some, and most probably all, of the Morrisons came from this parish. They are represented by Hon. George W. Morrison, late member of con- gress. Judge Charles R. Morrison, lawyer and author, of Manchester, N. H., Rev. John H. Mor- ison, D. D., clergyman and author, Boston, Mass., and his brother, Nathaniel H. Morison, LL. D., teacher and author, and provost of the Peabody Institute, Baltimore, Md., and Hon. Thomas F. Morrison, of Londonderry, Nova Scotia. The list might be swelled of the distinguished descendants of the Scotch emigrants from that parish in Ire- land. The Caldwells of Windham were from Garvagh. I received this unique specimen from a Coleraine paper. The writer said, — "I have a family Bible in my possession which belonged to my deceased grandfather, and on the title-page I find it re- corded that an ancestor of mine, James Caldwell, of Killure, Macosquin, emigrated in 1671, some 200 years ago, to Londonderry, County Windham, state of Vermont." The fact of the emigration is unquestioned, but the dates and geographical description are at fault. Rev. Matthew Clark, of Kilrea, three miles dis- tant, was the second minister of Londonderry, N. H. The people in the settlements of Kilrea, Gar- vagh, Aghadowey, and others are distinctly Scotch, after a residence of 200 years. Marriages between HOSPITABLY ENTERTAINED. 79 the native Irish and the Scotch settlers have rare- ly occurred, the people being kept apart by their religious differences and the sharp feuds of race. I have met and heard talk in some of the settle- ments persons with the Scotch dialect, with the rich brogue which was occasionally heard in my childhood. The names of Barnet, Mitchell, Starrett, Ander- son, Alexander, Gregg, Clark, Weir, Stuart, Dins- moor, Rankin, Park, Clyde, Cochran, and Morri- son are common in Aghadowey, Garvagh, and other parishes. I was most hospitably entertained by a clans- man, Mr. William Morrison, of Garfield Grange, Crockendolge, Garvagh, the father of Hon. Robert Morrison, a prominent lawyer of Washington, D. C. Very gladly was the opportunity embraced of entering the homes of these intelligent and ex- cellent people. It was a great pleasure to visit the family of Hugh R. Morrison, Esq. He is a magistrate, and one of the sub-land-commissioners under Glad- stone's land act. Having had correspondence with him several years ago, my reception was most kind. He is finely situated, at Money Dig, Garvagh. One son of Mr. Morrison is a Presbyterian cler- gyman, one a physician, while another overlooks the large estate. On his estate are ancient earth- works, circular in form, including a large area. Evidently in centuries long gone they enclosed 8o ANCIENT TRIBAL DWELLINGS. the tribal dwellings of the ancient inhabitants. The artificially constructed elevations were for their protection, and the excavations beneath were their store-houses. Strange as it may seem, there was found a ball of butter a foot in diameter, which is retained as a curiosity. The lapse of centuries has dried and lightened it, but one can easily insert a knife and discover its character. The old home of the Rankin family was shown me. A wealthy member of this family now lives in St. Louis. I was entertained at the hospitable home of Mr. William McKeeman, of Garvagh. One of the strange wild sights in Ireland, and also in Scotland, were whole plantations of trees which a great gale had levelled with the earth and thrown into the most inextricable confusion. The larofe linen bleachino- establishments are curiosities. The linen in long rolls was taken into the green fields and spread out for bleaching. Whole acres were covered with it, making a peculiar but pleasing sight. My next objective point was Giant's Causeway. I passed through Portrush, a place from which many emigrants sailed to America. It is a bold headland projecting into the broad Atlantic. The scenic beauties along the coast are perfectly en- chanting. Taking the electric railway for Bush- mills, we passed the ruined but remarkable castle of Dunluce, overlooking the sea. The railway is WONDERS OF GIANT'S CAUSEWAY. 8 1 perfection itself, and is three miles in length. A large waterfall is utilized to generate the electric- ity, and the car has no visible motive power. It was the first of April, and what a day at the Causeway — so bright and clear and sunny! Not a cloud was to be seen. From the hio-h bluffs the blue depths were beneath and the deep blue above us. The bending heavens shone brightly on the unrestful wafers of the bay. The sea-gulls in rapid flight uttered sharp cries as they plunged their beaks beneath the surface of the sea, or rested their weary and snowy forms upon its heav- ing bosom. The high cliff's were above and around us, and the deep caves from their ponderous cav- erns rolled back the echoing notes of the ocean's wild, weird song. There are 40,000 pillars of basaltic rock, dark as slate, and so close together that the blade of a knife cannot be inserted between them. They were placed there by the mysterious and mighty powers of nature, and usually are five, six, or seven sided. The exposed ends of these pillars which rise out of the sea cover many acres. In the perpendicular cliff's are three courses of upright columns, one above the other, each from forty to sixty feet high, and separated by masses of earth or rock. Of all my days of foreign travel, none was enjoyed more than the day at the Causeway. I secured a guide and four boatmen to take 82 EXPLORING ITS CAVES. me across the bay, to explore the caves and see the beauties of the place. We passed between high hills, and reached the waiting boat upon the shore. " The boat is trimmed with sail and oar, And all prepared to quit the shore; Then off we go with wind and tide, Across the sunny waves to glide. Then row ! row ! row ! Merrily over the waves we go !" We saw various caves. The most noted was Portcoon cave, a half mile from the Causeway, which the legend says was once inhabited by a giant who would accept no food from human hands, and so he was fed by the seals. The boatmen rowed into Dunkerry cave, which can only be entered from the sea. The entrance resembles a Gothic arch, and the roof is sixty feet above high-water mark. When we entered this " temple not made with hands," we saw the glorious tints of the many-colored rock in the roof above and in the solid arching sides. As we advanced the cave grew narrower, and the oars were drawn into the boat. The entrance became smaller, and as we neared the end the waters dashed heavily against the sides of the mountain. The boat rose and fell as the waters ebbed and flowed in response to the swell of the ocean. As we cast our eyes towards the entrance, now our place of exit, it seemed as though the rising sea would shut us into the cavern away from the THE IMPRISONED SEA. 83 sight of earth, while ceaselessly was heard the moaning of the imprisoned sea, as it sloughed and swayed and swashed against the end and sides of this great temple. Emerging once more into the bright world, we went from point to point possessed of fanciful names. I drank the clear water from the Giant's well, a cavity in basaltic rock, and saw the Giant's gateway and loom, composed of a series of col- umns standing upright, and the Giant's organ, a place in the side of the mountain. Then there was the pretty bay, which is the delight of tourists. When the tour was concluded, I dismissed the four boatmen, who clamored vociferously for "tips." I made a careful bargain with the hotel proprietor for their services, but that made not the slightest difference. I was a tourist and an American, and was a legitimate object of plunder. As there were four of them and "only one of me," I feed them all. My guide and I climbed the shep- herd's path, a dizzy way over the high cliff, to the green level lands above. He served me faithfully, and when the hotel was reached I feed him. Eu- ropeans have a wonderful faculty of depleting the pockets of travellers, and tipping is one of the most -obnoxious customs. I only tipped five per- sons after paying all that was agreed upon in the original bill, and escaped from the clutches of boots, chambermaid, and porter, and mounted a jaunting-car for Belfast, eighty miles away. Sixty 84 SIXTY MILES BY JAUNTING-CAR. miles was made by jaunting-car through the finest scenery of Ireland. On the way to Bally castle I wandered from the road to visit the wonderful chasm Carrick-a- Rede. A rope bridge leads across the gulf, sixty feet long and ninety feet above the water. A heavy mist was falling, a strong wind blowing, and the narrow bridge with a board upon it swayed to and fro over the deep abyss. The perilous feat of crossing it was left to others. My guide was Francis, son of James and grandson of Alexander Jameson. These were common names in the New Hampshire settlements. Along this coast the scenery is wonderful. The limestone cliffs, white and glistening, rise out of the sea, and in the distance seemed like villages of white houses. The coast is full of caves. I passed through the towns of Cushendall and Glen- arm, through the county of Antrim, which is one of the purest Scotch settlements. The roads, like all in Great Britain, are most excellent. Rocks are taken from the cliffs to a recess at the side of the highway, there beaten fine, and then put upon the road, making it hard as stone and smooth as a floor. Antrim, agriculturally, is one of the best coun- ties in Ireland, There I saw the nearest approach, in the looks of dwellings and in the appearance of farms and surroundings, to the homes of New England farmers. The people seemed prosperous, IN ANTRIM. 85 and there was none of the wretched poverty visi- ble which one sees in other locahties. For twenty miles the highway skirted the coast, with the sea upon one side and towering cliffs of limestone upon the other, while away up their almost per- pendicular sides, in the green patches, the sheep and lambs were feeding among the rocks. The scenery was magnificent. On the second day we arrived at Larne, which is a flourishing town of 3,000 people. At this place one takes the steamer for Stranraer, Scot- land, thirty-nine and a half miles away. From Larne the journey was continued by the narrow gauge railway to Ballemena, and I registered at the Adair Arms hotel. A man with a good Scotch name, John Campbell, was proprietor. In the Scotch settlement of Windham, N. H., once lived a strange character, Francis Richey, "born in ye county of Antrim, and town of Bally- manaugh, in ye north of Ireland, who died July 12, 1777, se 61 yrs." In the ancient cemetery there, beneath a flat stone, for more than a hun- dred years he has reposed, and where he will rest till the great awakening light of the final day. As I passed through the streets of Ballemena, his early-home, I observed a sign over a building for trade with the name Francis Richey. I passed through the attractive town of Antrim, of 2,000 people. It is situated near Lough Neagh, the largest lake in Ireland. Passing the S6 ATTRACTIVENESS OF BELFAST. intervening twenty-two miles we entered Belfast, the finest, liveliest town in Ireland, which contains some 230,000 people. Here a week was spent most pleasantly. Linen Hall, or Belfast library, founded in 1788, and owned by shareholders, is a good reference library. The rules, the seats, tables, and other facilities for consulting works are at least twenty- five years behind the times, or behind the libraries in New England. Much time can be profitably spent there. The grounds about it with their trees and flowers are delightful. Many lovely rides one can take about this de- lightful city. The tram-cars go in all directions ; and by ascending a spiral staircase passengers mount to the top. From this place a fine view of all parts of the city can be had. One bright, sunny day, in company with two gentlemen, I started for a visit to the top of Cave hill, three miles north of the town. Taking our seats on the top of the tram-car, we rode past elegant res- idences and parks of beauty, as we proceeded up the Antrim road to the terminus of the route. We then walked to the base of the mountain, and pass- ing through a wire fence, entered the sacred en- closure, and commenced the toilsome ascent. It seems that this land was sacred for game, and human beings must not pollute the soil by tread- ing upon it. It is almost an unpardonable sin to look inside, or breathe the air. I was not famil- BEAUTIES OF LANDLORDISM. 8/ iar with these things, and took my first lesson in the beauties of landlordism. As we ascended, we started hare and other game from cover. But steeper grew the mountain, harder the ascent. It was so sharp that we took hold of the long, dry grass, which grew abundantly, and pulled our- selves up the steep incline. At length, utterly fatigued, we threw ourselves on the slope for rest. The day was clear, and the Lough of Belfast glis- tened in the sunshine, while the town of Bangor and other places were plainly visible. In another direction was an old round tower. At the base of the mountain, some distance away, was the castle of the lord proprietor. Front of this was a man, who watched us with interest. We pressed on, and when within a few rods of a wall on the summit, the goal of our desires, just at this supreme moment, what should appear be- fore our startled vision but a wild looking man, running upon the opposite side, shaking a long staff, and gesticulating violently. We halted till he came to us. His speech was so incoherent and peculiar that we could not understand him fully; but he ordered us down from the mountain, and desired us to interview the man of contemplative mood in front of the castle. We could have left the game-keeper easily, but concluded to take a look at the castle and converse with the steward. When we reached the latter, I advanced, present- ed the steward with my card, extended my hand, 88 IN A LOVELY HOME. and expressed my great pleasure and gratification on making his acquaintance. He hesitated, look- ed at me sharply, seemed rather nonplussed, and for some unexplained cause he appeared cool in his welcome, and delayed for a moment before clasping my extended hand. He was greatly an- noyed that any person should presume to cross the land of his liege lord ; and when we left him he expressed the friendly hope that he might never see our sweet faces again ! We visited the Botanic gardens. Queen's col- lege, and other points. It had been a long walk, a long ride, and the experiences and sights were enjoyable. Belfast seems like an American city, and is very nice. The plans of the houses and their surroundings are neat and pretty. There is a great deal of enterprise and wealth, and it is the finest city in Ireland. It might be annexed to Boston, and one could hardly tell where Boston left off and Belfast commenced. On Palm Sunday I attended St. Malachy's Roman Catholic church, where multitudes gath- ered. The singing was beautiful, and the sermon was good. Spent a delightful evening at the hospitable home and with the charming family of William E. Armstrong, Esq., solicitor, opposite Belfast academy. At Castle Rock and Belfast I struck the clue of valuable historical and genealogical information which was developed upon my arrival in Edin- burgh. DEMOLISHED CABINS. 89 My sojourn in the country was drawing to a close, and I will give my impressions derived from a visit of a month in the Emerald Isle. The amount of poverty, ignorance, and wretchedness which meets one in many parts is appalling. The people have been badly treated and ground down by the landlords. The system of landlord- ism, as it now exists, ought to be and will be extir- pated, root and branch. The great estates given up to game should be purchased at a fair rate, taken possession of by the government, and sold to the people, to whom they rightfully belong, for human comfort and human habitations. In the counties of Sligo, Roscommon, and Leit- rim the people are poor. The good land is turned into grass farms, while cattle are pastured on the low damp grounds, and sheep upon the dryer portions. The houses of former tenants have been tumbled, wholesale, the stones used for makino- fences along the highway or through the fields. In Ireland, between 1841 and 186 1, two hundred and seventy thousand cabins, the homes of nearly one and a half millions of people, were destroyed, and the people were forced to emi- grate or die. Thousands of small farms were made into a large one. There are large districts where for miles and miles a traveller can see only an occasional house for a herdsman or of a local proprietor. How the people make a living is a mystery, for a great part of the land occupied 5 90 TIVO CLASSES. by the small farmers would not pay the cost of cultivation, or improvement, if done with hired labor. Everything seems combined to dwarf the aspirations and energies of the people, rather than to stimulate them into healthy activity. As formerly stated, there are two classes in Ireland, — the native Celts, who so largely come to America, who are Catholics, and the descend- ants of the Scotch and English settlers. The descendants of the Scotch in Ireland are the same as those who formed the Scotch settlements in America, and are largely Presbyterians. The descendants of the Scotch and English reside principally in the north of Ireland, and as a class are much more intelligent, more thrifty, and more prosperous than the native Irish, though they live on a less productive soil. Two causes have aided in making this difference. The gov- ernment has given the residents in the north more privileges, and the influence of their religion has been to make the people intelligent, and to lead them to do their own thinking. The native Irish have been more cruelly oppressed, and the influ- ence of their religion has been directly opposite, and led their religious teachers to do the thinking for the people. The descendants of the English are largely Episcopalians. There is much bad feel- ing between the people of the different denomi- nations, and little of that liberality and charity ex- ists between them which are found in the United LOVE FOR AMERICANS. 9 1 States. An Episcopal clergyman said to me, in speaking- of the different denominations, — " Nat- urally the Episcopalians and the Presbyterians would work together politically rather than other- wise, but let an Episcopalian be a candidate for any office, and I'll be blowed if the Presbyterians and the Catholics won't unite to defeat him every time." The Presbyterians are stiff, old-fashioned, and conservative. A bitter controversy is going on between the progressive and conservative ele- ments in regard to the use of instrumental music in their churches. Among all classes in the Emerald Isle, — the rich, the poor, the good, the bad, Catholic and Protes- tant, — a great amount of intoxicants is used. This custom, and landlordism, are the two great curses of Ireland. In my travels I have never met a finer class of people than the descendants of the Scotch and English settlers in Ireland. They are intelligent, honest, and conscientious. The native or Celtic Irish are not so well educated, or so intelligent. They are impulsive, kind, warm-hearted, and hospitable. Upon re- ligious matters they do not have intelligent individual opinions, but the most illiterate and the most intelligent are influenced and governed largely by their priests. America is loved, and Americans are held in high esteem, by all classes. An American with common politeness will be treated with kindness 92 HOME RULE. in any part of Ireland. For myself the kindest wishes for Ireland abide with me. I met some of the highest, many of the lowliest, and con- versed with hundreds of her middle classes, and by all, Catholics and Protestants, I was treated with great attention, courtesy, and kindness. The condition of the country is certainly im- proving. The people are "more and more," and the landlords are becoming "smaller by degrees and beautifully less." Gladstone's land act of 1 88 1 was a savage blow to landlordism. The bill of Mr. Gladstone's before parliament, for buying the land of those landlords who wish to sell, seems to me too easy upon the landlords. I look with distrust upon the bill for Home Rule as it was presented by Mr. Gladstone, and doubt the fit- ness of the country for it, though a modified bill of that sort might be well. The two classes. Cath- olic and Protestant, are so distinct, and so bitter are their animosities, that it would be singular if they could affiliate, and work for the common good. But somehow, in some way, the present must be the dawning of a better day for the Irish people. With a broad and liberal policy of the government, with the diffusion of educational privileges, and the enlightening influences of religious liberty, all of which must come in due time, there is a bright future for Ireland. From Belfast I went to Larne, passing through Carrickfergus. Its old castle, still garrisoned by FAREWELL TO LR ELAND. 93 troops, is covered with ivy, and the white waves of the ocean beat against it. Larne is a town of from 3,000 to 4,000 people, and the shipping port for Stranraer, Scotland, thirty- nine and a half miles away. As we steamed out of the harbor, I glanced backward upon that retreating land, upon which nature had poured her riches and her charms so lavishly. Farewell, sweet, beautiful Ireland! Farewell! your high mountains, your green hills, your lovely valleys and swiftly flowing rivers ! I bid you all adieu ! With a heart full of sympathy for your woes, fondly do I hope that the present is the dawning of the day of your emancipation from the social, religious, and political evils which oppress you. Ardently do I wish that your future, unlike your past, may give your loving sons and daughters something beside " beauty and sorrow"! Thus I took leave of the temporary abode of my ances- tors, and passed out of Ireland. Looking forward: My desires to be in Scotland, the fatherland, were too strong to be longer re- pressed. I longed to gaze upon her historic mountains, to breathe her bracing air, and to press my feet upon her soil. As the boat speeded on her way, out of the silvery sea rose the outline of the Scottish coast. As the shades of evening fell, bolder and more distinct became the hicrh headlands. When nio-ht brooded over the silent mountains, I was in the home of my forefathers. Thus I passed into Scotland. CHAPTER IV. SCOTLAND. "A combination of sea and mountains made Scotland the home of a bold, vigorous, liberty-loving people." "Two voices are there; — one is of the sea. One of the mountains, each a mighty voice." fT is a great thing to belong to a nation of which you are proud, to have claims upon a nation- ality whose memories and traditions have been glorious. This country has wonderful attractions to Scotch- Americans. It is the home of a ofreat and intellectual people. Its associations, histori- cal and political, are exceedingly rich. Martyrs for liberty and religion have died there. Poets and authors of world-wide reputation have made their country famous, and have invested its seas, its rivers, its lakes and mountains, with romantic interest. They have peopled all places with chil- dren of their brain. It is the home of Wallace, Bruce, Knox, Burns, Scott, and Black, and of great and illustrious per- sonages of the past and present in various walks of life. The histories of individuals, of clans, of the Scotch nation, speak from rocky mountains, from the glens of Scotland, and clothe all places with a TOUCH OF THE MOUNTAIN SOD. 95 living, human interest. Her children have been mighty " By the touch of the mountain sod." So closely are the blue mountains of Scotland allied with the green fields of the Emerald Isle, that at their nearest points only twenty miles of sea divide them. On a clear day, from the Irish coast can be seen the mountains of Scotland. In the dark days of her history it is not surprising that many of her people, fleeing from persecutions, should cross this narrow belt of sea and find refuge from relentless persecution. Thousands went to better their condition. It is computed that in 1 64 1 there were 20,000 English and 100,000 Scotch in the plantation of Ulster. So the ances- tors of the Scotch, who formed settlements in New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and several of the Southern states, passed into the Emerald Isle. Then once more this hardy, unconquered, and unconquerable race fled from a country not worthy of them, on account of despotic landlords and an oppressive and bigoted government. They col- lected their household gods, and the little proper- ty they had, which was not much, — for landlords, the Established Church, and the government had nibbed them of nearly all their income, — took the voyage of from eight to twelve weeks across the Atlantic, and founded new homes in the wil- derness of America, and helped to build and de- velop the wonderful government of the United States. 96 RUINS OF CASTLE KENNEDY. The portion of sea which I crossed from Larne to Stranraer occupied two and three fourths hours in the passage. We passed five domains before we entered Stranraer, among them that of Sir Wilham Wallace, who claims kinship to the renowned chieftain and liberator. I was now in a land whose every rod of territory was bristling with history. In the proud heritage of her past I could claim a part. I had loved Scotland and the lives of many of her people. When one who has so loved her and her history treads for the first time her soil, very vividly will important historic events pass before him. They come thronging back upon his soul like the inrushing waters of a mighty flood. Stranraer is an untidy, disagreeable town, with narrow streets and 6,000 people, and stands at the head of Loch Ryan. I registered at Meikle's hotel. There were wretched, thatch-roofed cot- tages, occupied by people poorly fed and meanly clad. Poverty was everywhere. One could not but think that Scotland treated her children shab- bily. This was only one side of the picture : the other will be exhibited. Four miles from Stranraer are the ruins of Cas- tle Kennedy, formerly the seat of famous earls. The ruins are upon the estate of the Earl of Stair, which is one of the finest in Scotland. On the morning succeeding my arrival the celebrated place was visited, '^fhe grounds are superb, laid out with groves, grand avenues, mounds, and ter- A PACK OF HOUNDS. 97 races, rich with grass. They are not driven over, and the well kept grounds contain delightful prom- enades, ornamented with rare and beautiful trees. Among them is one of great beauty, popularly known as the " Devil's puzzle," very green, with long, round, prickly limbs, while the body of the tree is covered with barbed flakes. A lake with its sinuous windinofs adds to the attractiveness of the place. Castle Kennedy, majestic in its ruins, stands on a narrow neck of land between two lakes. An accidental fire in 1 7 1 5 reduced it to its present condition. A large portion is covered with ivy. It was a charming spring morning, and the air w-as melodious with the songs of birds, as hundreds of them live in the ruins, in the broken chimneys, in the covering ivy, and in the crevices of the shattered walls. The present castle of the Earl of Stair, one fourth of a mile distant, is of elegant proportions and stateliness. Like most castles in Great Britain, it is occupied only a por- tion of the year by the wealthy proprietor. Land- lords and nobles spend the rest of the time "in town," which means London, where many of them have elegant mansions, or in Paris and on the continent. While passing over this estate, a large pack of perhaps thirty hounds were unloosed by the hound-keeper. They were sleek, finely formed, and well kept. They flew across the park with great rapidity, with loud hayings, but were obedi- 5* 98 ENGLISH HUNTING ESTABLISHMENTS. ent to the call of the keeper. It was a beautiful sight. In Enoland alone there are said to be five hun- dred packs of hounds of eighty each, or forty thousand kept for hunting purposes. There are one hundred and fifteen thousand hunting horses, lone-limbed, and fleet as the wind. Hounds and horses and hunting establishments are supported at an annual expense of nearly $50,000,000. When hunting they cross fields, damaging crops, and leap ditches and high fences ; and all this for the sake of making Englishmen "manly" by chas- ing to its death a hare, a fox, or a deer. The tenant had, till recently, no rights which "gentlemen" were bound to respect. This is the other side of the picture. It matters not to the governing class or nobility that the people suffer; that they work for sixteen or twen- ty cents per day, board and clothe themselves and their families, and furnish their homes for wife and children. It matters not that the masses are clothed in tattered garments, shoeless, with none of the comforts of life, so long as they fare sump- tuously every clay on estates stolen from the peo- ple and given to their ancestors centuries ago. But is it any wonder that the people do not like it, that the mutterings of a coming storm are heard, that there is a ferment among the masses in Ireland and the crofters of Scotland? How long would the American people tolerate such insufl"er- BIRTHPLACE OF BURNS. 99 able nuisances as exist in Great Britain ! They had only the slightest taste of the British system in 1776, when they rose in their might, repudiated the "divine right" of kings and nobles, repudiated caste, landlordism, and the whole blessed arrange- ment, gathered them together, and sent them across the Adantic to King George III and his parliament with the compliments of the American people, and the message that Americans did not want these things and would not have them! And they made good their words! It is refreshing to turn from these things, and visit Ayr, a spot made famous by one who be- longed to a higher and nobler aristocracy — that of intellect. It is situated on the river Ayr, with a population of 18,000. The river dividing it is crossed by two bridges. In the city is the Wallace tower, with a niche containing his statue. But what gives this place its interest is the fact that it is the birth- place of Robert Burns. Around it his life and writing's have thrown a fascination which will never die. Thousands of pilgrims from all > portions of the globe visit it year by year. From the low thatch-roofed cottage in which he was born has gone forth an influence which deepens and broadens with the jii^fiiffiPi lOO GENIUS OF BURNS. rolling years. His writings have thrilled and stir- red the hearts of Scotchmen beyond those of any other man. He is the most deeply loved of any, and is recognized as the greatest genius in Scot- tish literature. When I visited these historic spots I was filled with delight, and more profoundly stirred than at any other place in my travels. A wonderful fascination clino-s to the name of Burns. Without a liberal education or culture, without friends of influence, with nothing to de- velop him and everything to repress him, this plowman — and a plowman in Scotland is not like a plowman in New England — by the transcend- ent brilliancy of his genius, forced himself into the front ranks of the noted men of the world. Un- appreciated in his day and generation, scorned by many, forsaken by the rich and powerful, untrue himself to the leadings of his better nature, he was left alone to tread the way of poverty and sorrow. Then the sensitive, proud spirit of this kingly son of the soil was soured and broken, and he died July 2 1, 1796, at the early age of 37 years. While the names of many noted men of his generation have passed into oblivion, his fame increases. No honors are too great to perpetuate his name, and monuments are erected to his memory. An old Scotch lady once said, — " Poor Robbie Burns ! when alive he cried for bread, And they gave him a stone — when he was dead ! " This shows man's inhumanity to man. In his 1 ,> 1 > » 7V4J/ aSHANTER INN. lOI last years the sympathy and aid of his country- men were not g-iven him. Then they would have cheered and blest him ! When death closed the scene, when he had passed beyond the ken of mortal vision, beyond the reach of human aid, where human sympathy could not cheer and hu- man criticism could not wound, then his genius was recognized, then the love and honors of his countrymen were poured out lavishly to celebrate his fame. Surely " They gave him a stone — when he was dead ! " On High street, near the Wallace tower, is a house with a brass plate above the door, wnth the inscription, "The house in which Tam O'Shanter an' Souter Johnny held their meetings." It is the little two-story house know^n as the "Tam O'Shanter Inn." The chairs in which the two friends sat are there. On the one which Tam is said to have occupied is an inscription from the poem "Tam O'Shanter" commencing, — " No man can tether time or tide ; The hour approaches, Tam maun ride, Weel mounted on liis gray mare, Meg ; A better never lifted leg." There also is Souter Johnny's chair, with the inscription on a brass plate : " Fast by an ingle bleezing finely, Wi' reaming swats that drank divinely, And at his elbow, Souter Johnny, His ancient, trusty, drouthy crony." r ' o < ■ <■ it 102 ALLOIVAY KIRK. I next visited Burns's cottage, two miles from Ayr. There is the lowly thatch-roofed tenement where he was born, and which is guarded with jealous care. Passing through the turnstile, pay- ing two-pence admission, I entered the room in which the poet was born. There was the old- fashioned bedstead in the wall, the clay floor, the dresser with the pewter dishes, the white deal table, the tall eight-day clock, and the old rickety spinning-wheel that belonged to his sweet " High- land Mary." The room is in substantially the same condition it was a century ago. In a room back of this are portraits of Burns, and some of his poems in manuscript. This also serves as a res- taurant, where refreshments are sold, with relics of the place. I left the cottage and visited Alloway kirk, which owes its celebrity to the imagery of Burns's poems, and is the scene of the fiends' revelry in "Tarn riili O'Shanter." It is a little church, and in ruins, with the roof entire- The AllowAVVkiri^ ^ ]y fallen in and removed \ f£iS^f'>^'^^^= St \'^t Stone walls still stand: the baptismal font, partly inside the walls and partly upon the outside, can still be seen. The bell hangs in the old bel- fry, but it no longer calls people to the house of prayer. A sign hangs upon the front of the kirk, which requests persons not to throw stones at the bell, or to deface the building. Immediate- AULD BRIG O' DOON. 103 ly in front of the kirk is buried the father of Burns. Above him a new stone has been raised, as the former one had been entirely chipped away by rehc- hunters. Near by are the "banks and braes of bonny Doon." The Doon is a swiftly flowing, pleasing river. A few hundred yards distant is the "auld brig o' Doon," an arched bridge of stone of ancient date, but famous in song. It was over this bridge that Tarn O'Shanter was chased by the witches, — chased so hard, followed so close, that he was only saved from the grasp of the rev- elling fiends by the fleetness of his horse Maggie, which passed to the keystone of the bridge, where Cutty Sark " Flew at Tarn \vi' furious ettle, But little wist she Maggie's mettle : Ae spring brought off her master hale, But left behind her own gray tail." Overlooking this place is Burns's monument. The building, which blends the Roman and the Gre- cian architectural styles, is 'pifJ^^^p^^H!?^^ sixty feet in height, and ^K'^^K^^^^' the foundation stone was ^^^^^^^^^^^c'^^ laid January 25, 1820. It is finely situated on an acre of land, and is a fitting memorial of a peo- ple's affection for their greatest poet. In a circu- lar apartment are different editions of his works, a snuff-box made from the wood of Alloway kirk, the Bible given by Burns to Highland Mary, and a copy of a portrait of Burns by Nasmith, the I04 VISIT TO THE NIECE OF BURNS. artist. Almost beneath the shadow of the monu- ment, in a grotto, are statues of Tam O'Shanter and Souter Johnny, which portray with great fidel- ity the characters as described. I visited other places made celebrated in connection with the poet, and like all tourists purchased many relics, and brought them to America. In a comfortable thatch-roofed cottage in Ayr lived Miss Beggs, a niece of Robert Burns. I called at the house, and sent in my card. In a few minutes I was shown up-stairs into the room where she was, and was received with great cor- diality. I said to her that it gave me the greatest pleasure to meet a niece of Robert Burns. She was a bright, sharp, witty lady of seventy-eight years, and spoke with evident pleasure of the fact that many Americans called to see her. "Scotch- men," she remarked, when speaking of her uncle, "would commence by apologizing for his faults: Americans said nothing about them." She spoke of a lovely American lady, who told her that when a child she had been reproved by her parents for reading and committing to memory Tam O'Shan- ter and other poems. The fair American said it mig-ht be foolish — she didn't know but it was; but this she did know, that when she died and went to heaven she wanted to get just as near Robert Burns as she possibly could. The night was spent at Ayr. The next morning, which was cool and frosty, the bells were rung, EUROPEAN TOILERS. 105 and at 5 o'clock the operatives in the different manufactories started for their places of work. Many of the women and girls were barefooted. Some had coverings for their heads, and some did not. Many walked two miles to the factories, with- out breakfast, where they worked an hour before coming out for the morning meal. They were not so well dressed as the opera- tives in American mills, and had a different air about them. The workers in any vocation in Great Britain or in Europe are not like the workers in the United States. The tillers of the soil there are greatly unlike the tillers of the soil in the United States. A plowman is not like the self- respecting farmer of America. I could not but note the painful difference between the tillers of the soil and the intelligent farmers of New Eng- land, with their comfortable, smiling homes, which they usually own, and the intelligent wives and lovely daughters who brighten the family circle. The same difference exists in other callings. One of the world's workers there is a nobody. ■ Going east fourteen miles to Auchenleck, I scanned the public record for 200 years, and found many familiar names, particularly the name of Cochran. Nor is this strange, as this town was I06 OLD HOME OF THE COCHRANS. in the immediate vicinity of the oldest settlement of this well known family. The family of Cochran, or Cochrane, was never so large as to be a sept or clan, like many Scottish families. It is an ancient surname, and is derived from the Barony of Cochrane, in the county of Renfrew, very near Glasgow, and is the family name of the earls of Dundonald. About the ear- liest known mention of the name w^as that of Wal- denus de Coveran, or Cochran, who was witness to a charter of lands given to Walter Cumming, Earl of Monteith, in Skipness and Cantyre, in the year A. D. 1262. In 1296 William de Cochran was one of the Scotch barons who swore fealty to Edward I of England. Gosiline de Cochran lived in the reign of David II, and was father of William Cochran, from whom was descended the William Cochran who in 1576 obtained of Queen Mary the charter of confirmation of the lands of Cochran, erected the family seat, and adorned it with plantations. He was grandfather of Sir John Cochrane, colonel in the army of Charles I. He was succeeded by his brother, William Cochran of Cowdon, who was made Lord Cochrane of Ochil- tree in December, 1647, ^^^^ Earl of Dundonald in May, 1669. Members of the family have till a late date been prominent in politics and in the military service of Great Britain. It is fair to assume that the Cochrans in the American set- tlements, as they are of Scotch origin, are de- IN GLASGOW. 107 scended from some of the numerous and widely separated branches of this family. The road from Auchenleck to Glasgow is through a fine country filled with coal and iron works, whose huge chimneys belch forth, day after day and month after month, great columns of smoke, which blackens the atmosphere. Quan- tities of coal are brought to the surface, and vast piles of waste matter from iron lie upon the ground, sometimes thirty feet high, covering an acre of ground. Darker and smokier grew the atmosphere as we approached Glasgow, till, at Paisley, at times it was impossible to see the sun. The houses are begrimed with smoke, like those in Pittsburgh, Penn. We landed at St. Enoch's station in Glasgow late in the afternoon, and I registered at the St. Enoch's hotel. One fasci- nating feature about travelling in Great Britain is that the ~ railway companies own and manage excellent hotels at all large towns in close connec- tion with the stations, and a person can alight from the train and enter an elegant hotel without exposure to the weather. The St. Enoch's hotel is a large and fine establishment, and well man- aged. The greatly annoying custom of tipping attendants, which is so exasperating to travellers, is prohibited, and a servant known to receive a fee will be discharged. It was positively refresh- ing, an unbounded relief, to be free for a short time from the importunities of money-seeking and money-getting attendants. I08 MANAGEMENT OF RAILWAYS. The stations in Glasgow are large, durable, solid, and costly structures, and, like everything built in Great Britian, they are erected to stand for all time. There is no shoddy about buildings in Great Britain. They are well constructed for the discharge of business, but there are no luxu- ries, barely comforts, for passengers. The waiting- rooms are inferior to those in America. There are many things in the management of railways which America can afford to copy. Everywhere the roads go either above or beneath the high- ways. Any one walking upon the track is liable to arrest and fine. At stations persons are not permitted to cross the tracks, but must follow the walk above or below. While these regulations are sometimes quite annoying, still they are right : life and limb are much better cared for than with us. The lanterns which light the car- riages are let down from the top, and fitted into the roof. That is the custom in Ireland, and I think in all Great Britain. Ticket offices are called booking offices. Glasgow is one of the great cities of the world. It is a place of great wealth, of business push, of beautiful parks, of many statues of illustrious peo- ple, of massive stone buildings ; is full of historic centres; has one of the most famous cathedrals in Great Britain, a noted Necropolis, and a University of high reputation. The river Clyde divides the city, and is spanned by numerous bridges of mar- THE GREAT CATHEDRAL. 109 vellous Strength and costliness, and as solid as the firm mountains. The railway bridges are equally substantial. One of the most wonderful achievements of modern times has been the im- provements of the Clyde. Citizens can remem- ber when boys could wade across it, in what is now the heart of the city. Dredging machines have been at work for many years ; the channel has been deepened and widened, and there is now an artificial harbor of twelve miles in approach, where the largest ships can come up to the piers. The river is walled in for miles. More than twenty-eight million dollars have been expended in these improvements, and they are an ever- lasting monument to the persistence of the Scotch character, and to the enterprise, push, and far- seeing sagacity of the citizens of Glasgow. George's square, in the centre of the city, is full of fountains and statues, walks and beds of flowers, with seats where the weary may rest. The statues and stone buildings soon become black- ened by the smoky atmosphere. The ca- thedral is the most interesting thing in Glasgow, and was founded in 1136. The build- ing is 319 feet in length, 63 feet in breadth, and no RELIGION AND PATRIOTISM. 90 feet high. The central tower is 225 feet high. Its display of stained glass in its windows sur- passes any other building in Great Britain. The external appearance is massive and substantial rather than beautiful. Alonof the sides and cut in stone are the heads of ghouls, devils, and all man- ner of hobgoblins. It is said that they were carved in the days of superstition, to drive away the devil and evil spirits. I cannot vouch for this, but they certainly looked frightful enough to an- swer that purpose. I frequently attended services there. The nave, once used as a church, is Gothic in style, with a high pitched roof, and is 155 feet long, and 30 feet between the aisles. In this cathedral, as in most if not all Episcopal churches in Great Britain, and in many cathedrals on the continent, religion and patriotism, or love of coun- try, go hand in hand. In the sides of the nave are slabs in memory of many a brave warrior "who died in the service of his queen and coun- try." Loyalty to the queen and royal family is the same as loyalty to the government, as the queen stands at the head. Those memorial tab- lets told the story of patriotism and self-sacrifice, and, generally, for what ? *' They told of trophies taken, Of deeds of valor done." The stained glass windows are beautiful. Many are memorial windows of some distinguished per- son or family, and adorned with arms or armorial THE CRYPT. Ill trappings. The architecture of the choir, where services are holclen, is grand indeed. It is 97 feet in length. There are the tall pillars, the hieh ceilinor, the stained windows, the deep- toned organ ; and the sweet voices of the singers, when services are held, make it a place of great attraction. There are 147 pillars and 159 windows in the cathedral. The crypt, or burial-place, un- derlies the choir, and is the basement of the cathe- dral. It surpasses all other structures of its kind in Great Britain. It is 108 feet long, 72 feet wide, and is supported by 65 pillars each 18 feet in height, and many of them 18 feet in circumfer- ence. The piers and groining are very intricate and beautiful in design and execution. The walls are lined with memorial tablets of some wise peo- ple, and of many very foolish ones. The denomination worshipping there is the Presbyterian, the Established Church of Scotland. Their forms of service were much like those of the Episcopal church, but more simple. The preacher was dressed in dark robes, and stationed in a small, high pulpit. This minister read hymns beautifully, for his soul was full of poetry, and re- sponded to the sentiments he uttered. He gave the rising inflection at the enci of a sentence — a common practice among Britons, and when well done is quite pleasing. At this church I saw the first Scotch audience, and was interested in look- ing over it, scanning their faces. They possessed 112 A SCOTCH AUDIENCE. Strong, thoughtful, intelligent countenances, but they seemed cold and stoical, lacking that warmth, keenness, vivacity, and variety of expression seen in a distinctively American assembly. In all of the churches I attended in Great Brit- ain, the Queen, the Prince of Wales, and all mem- bers of the royal family were prayed for with great force and unction, — and they need it ! Then the parliament is remembered, and the army and the navy; and God is asked to grant success to the British arms. It seemed to me that few petitions went up to heaven for that little portion of the world outside of Great Britain, nor many suppli- cations for the temporal or spiritual welfare of the poor fellows in Egypt or the Soudan, whom Brit- ish soldiers were consigning to hospitable graves, and whose souls they were sending unbidden into the presence of the King of kings and Lord of lords. The service in that respect seemed to me selfish, narrow, and unchristian, showing but little of the spirit of the Master. An ancient cemetery surrounds the cathedral, and probably one half is literally paved with grave- stones. The other portion is crowded with tombs hundreds of years old, monuments and memorials of by-gone generations, and one tomb to a num- ber of the covenanters who died martyrs to their faith. The necropolis, on the east side of the Molin- dinar ravine, is an eminence 225 feet in height. THE BRIDGE OF SIGHS. I 1 3 It forms a noble backoround to the cathedral, and was once called the Fir park. It commands an excellent view of the city and the surrounding country, and it is celebrated for its beauty. The day was one of rare brightness when I visited it. Passing through the "Bridge of Sighs," I entered this resting-place of the dead. It was commenced in 1828, and now the entire surface of the rocky eminence is laid out with beautiful walks, beds of flowers, and terraced burying-lots. The entire hill is bristling with rare and costly monuments of various designs and beauty, and engraved upon them were many familiar family names. Having a letter to Mr. Michael Simons, I was received with much kindness. He is one of the strongest and most successful merchants of the city, and a member of the city council. He is a gentleman of marked ability, fluent of speech, and of great ease of manner. He conducted me into some of the most noted parts of the city ; and at his home, at 206 Bath street, he showed me some orders of decorations which King Alphonso of Spain had conferred upon him for opening and developing an extensive business in all kinds of fruits with Spain. On the north bank of the river Kelvin, on Gil- more hill, is the University of Glasgow, Kelvin grove, or West End park, finely laid out and cov- ering forty-five acres of ground, is in the imme- diate vicinity. Here is the fountain erected to 6 114 PUBLIC LIBRARIES. commemorate the introduction of water into the city from Loch Katrine, forty-five miles away, sur- mounted by a bronze figure called the "Lady of the Lake." The Botanic Gardens are an adornment to the place. There are two free public libraries, but they are not so extensive nor so well conducted as the libraries in our largest cities. Considerable time was spent in Mitchell's library, which has many valuable and costly books of reference not generally found in libraries in the United States. The great markets are interesting to visit, where almost any article of either hemisphere can be bought. Many of the stalls are carried on by girls or women. Some of the best second-hand bookstores in the city are there. In all parts of Great Britain there are such stores, where val- uable works can be bought at reasonable rates, which cannot be said of first class stores, where my experience has taught me that the prices are exorbitant for either first or second editions, and are much higher than for books in this country. On the high grounds near the university are cannon "keeping watch and ward," which were captured from the Russians at Sebastopol. At another point is the Caledonian canal, running over a deep ravine and above the Kelvin river. It is an interesting point, and a triumph of engi- neering skill. I made the acquaintance of Rev. Donald Mor- IVf/A T'S IN A NAME ? I 1 5 rison, LL. D., rector of Glasgow academy. The interview was an exceedingly pleasant one. He was a tall, dark, fine-looking man, who wore his robes and the Oxford cap. His family is from the north of Scotland; and much was my surprise to find that he was the brother of Rev. James Mor- rison, of Urquhart, Elgin, Scotland, with whom I had had an interesting correspondence several years before. Another brother is A. Morrison, LL. D.^ principal of Scotch college, Melbourne, Australia. It was interesting to learn, on more than one occasion, that the printed history of our common family had found its way across the Atlan- tic into the possession of clansmen. The Scotch names known in the American set- tlements are as thick as autumnal leaves. Prof. John Anderson founded the Anderson University in 1795; a street is named Cochran; and near each other were merchants named Barr, Wal- lace, and Morrison. In the Londonderry, N. H., settlement, more than i6o years ago, lived John Barr, keeper of a public house and a beer-seller; and here was a sign over a door, "John Barr, ale and beer-seller." What's in a name? The manner of naming streets greatly perplexes a stranger, as different ones are attached to differ- ing sections of the same one. A street which runs parallel with the Clyde in one part is called the " Gallow gate," as criminals were once executed there ; another portion is called the Tron gate, Il6 CURIOUS WYNDS. another Argyle street. The latter is the great busi- ness thoroughfare of Glasgow. Curious wynds, or closes, run off of these old streets, which once dis- played many features of taste and opulence, but now are smoky, dingy lanes, often leading to the homes of poverty, wretchedness, and crime. The older part of the city is far from attractive, while the new sections are elegant, with fine streets, circling terraces, imposing blocks, and mansions of the wealthy inhabitants. There are parks of beauty, magnificent bridges, great blocks, and public buildings, all so strongly constructed that they will last for centuries. The Clyde is one of the finest rivers of Scotland, Lovely villages, with houses of light sandstone, nestle upon its banks, among the encircling hills. At one point a wealthy land-owner had acres of plantations, where the trees were so arranged as to represent the different divisions of the contend- ing armies at Waterloo. An English gentleman was my companion in walks around Glasgow and vicinity, and who subsequently accompanied me in rambles in and around London, which was familiar ground to him. Visited Paisley, a dark, smoky town, eight miles from Glasgow. The streets are narrow, with houses covered with tile roofs. It is full of great works, whose tall chimneys continually belch forth volumes of smoke. The most interesting building is the abbey, founded in A. D. 1163. A part is I BRAES OF GLENIFFER. 1 1? in ruins, but a portion in perfect preservation is now used as a place of worship. Ten pillars, sev- enteen feet high, finely moulded, divide the aisles from the body of the nave. On the south side of the church there is a small chapel, called St. Mirren's aisle, possessing a re- markable echo, which has given it the name of the "Sounding aisle." This gallery has stained glass windows of costliness and beauty. Rising 700 feet in height, in plain view of the station, overlooking the city, are the "Braes of Gleniffer." They are a favorite resort, and are rendered famous by the genius of the sweet, sad poet, Robert Tannahill, born in Paisley, June 3, 1774, who in a fit of melancholy drowned himself May 17. 1810. The hills, sharply outlined against the sky, could be plainly seen, and the several places which were favorite resorts of the poet. " Keen blaws the wind o'er the braes o' Gleniffer; The auld bastle turrets are covered vvi' snaw : How chang'd sin' the time that I met wi' my lover, Amang the green bushes by Stanley gree shaw." ******* " The trees are a' bare, an' the birds mute an' dowie ; They shake the cauld drift frae their wings as they flee ; They chirp out their plaints, seeming wae for my Johnie : 'Tis winter wi' them, an' it's winter wi' me." Among those to whom Scotland and the world owe a debt of gratitude, which can never be paid, for what they have done for Scotia, are Robert Burns, Jane Porter, Walter Scott, and Lord Ma- Il8 GIFTED AUTHORS. caulay, of the past, and William Black, of the pres- ent. By their writings they have made Scotland's fame secure forever. They have invested places, scenes, and people with wondrous charms. They have thrown around her mountains, her iron coasts, and her tossing seas a marvellous fascina- tion. They have made her heroes and heroines by their prominence seem like the gods and god- desses of ancient mythology. This is from a his- torical and literary standpoint : from a practical and financial view, the debt is still as great. In consequence of their writings, many thousands of visitors from the four quarters of the globe throng the land every year to visit the hallowed spots — and leave their money. It is safe to assert that no five business men have ever been of so much practical and financial value to Scotland as these rare authors, who have charmed the world with the products of their brain. Jane Porter was the gifted author of "The Scot- tish Chiefs." Many happy hours in my childhood were spent in its perusal, and not till the " flood- gates of life are closed in rest" can be effaced from my memory and heart the admiration which it taught me for Sir William Wallace. With power has she drawn the quiet beauty of Elderslie, the attractions of his home, the grace, the loveliness, the charm of manner of Wallace's companion, and the fact that their souls were knit together by the strong, tender ties of deep affection. HOME OF SIR WILLIAM WALLACE. 119 My friend and I visited Elderslie. It is a strag- gling village of some seventy-five houses, inhab- ited by operatives. The country is still pretty, but not romantic. We passed over the ground once pressed by the feet of the Scottish chieftain, and visited the dwelling which stands upon the spot where his house stood. We saw what is reputed to be the original fireplace of Wallace's house. Over this, a little at one side and three and a half feet from the floor, is an underground passage perhaps twenty rods in length, which emerges in a gar- den near where Wallace's oak stood. Through this he is said to have escaped from his enemies, and secreted himself in an oak. The spot where the latter stood is still pointed out. A large yew- tree several hundred years of age grows near the house. With the permission of the proprietor I climbed into it and cut some sprigs, which were preserved as a reminder of the home of the Scot- tish chieftain. On April 25th my friend and I sailed down the Clyde to Rothesay, in the island of Bute, which is one of the pleasantest excursions on the river. The walls along the banks must be some twenty- five feet in height, as they go deep into the water. A short distance from the city is the large brick factory of an American firm, "The Singer Sewing Machine Co." The Clyde is lined with ship-yards, as this is the greatest ship-building place in the world. I20 DUMBARTON CASTLE. Ships on the stocks were as numerous as leaves on forest trees, and the workmen on all parts of the vessels were as thick as bees around the mouth of a hive, and the noise they made was deafening. We passed Dumbarton castle, a mile in circumference, and which rises two hundred and forty feet out of the water. "Wallace's peak " is the high- est point. It is a place of great an- tiquity, and ancient- ly one of the impor- tant strongholds of Scotland. It is a wild, romantic spot. On the return we visited Greenock. The new cemetery is on a sloping hill, 300 feet above the sea, and its situation is beautiful. Greenock is naturally interesting. But not its native beauty alone would cause the traveller to prolong his stay. That which gives it its celebrity is the fact that in its old cemetery lies buried one, attractive in herself, whom the love and adoration of one man, with the magic of his pen, have made immortal, whose resting-place is historic, and to which pilgrims come from every clime. It is the grave of Mary Campbell, the dairy-maid, known the world over as Burns's "Highland Mary," one who was to have been his bride. He loved his Highland Mary with a constancy which never THE DROSS WAS BURNED AWAY. 121 faltered in its devotion, which from its nature could know no death. When her footsteps fal- tered, when her feet touched the cold waters of the river of death, then he "trod the wine-press" of sorrow alone, and from his suffering soul came forth the purest, truest sentiments he ever ex- pressed. The dross was burned away, the pure gold was revealed, the diamond shone with bright- est lustre. On the anniversary of the day on which he heard of her death he gave expression to his feelings in an address to " Mary in Heaven." " Thou ling'ring star, with less'ning ray, That lov'st to greet the early morn, Again thou usher'st in the day My Mary from my soul was torn. * * * * " My Mary, dear departed shade, Where is thy blissful place of rest ? " In "David Copperfield" Steerforth said, "Think of me at my best," a custom not always followed "in the corrupted currents of this world," This poem showed Burns at his best. From this deep grief, his great loss, and abiding sorrow, his an- guished spirit found expression in one of the sweetest sonnets ever penned. The pathos of no sweeter song ever made responsive chords in human hearts vibrate with livelier sympathy. P^or him life's grief, life's loss, life's great calamity, brought their compensation ; they developed and revealed in him a sympathy, tenderness, and nobil- ity never dreamed of before. Had Mary lived, 122 GRAVE OF HIGHLAND MARY. that poem would never have been written. That evidence of the deep tenderness of his nature, that monument of his genius, would not excite the sympathy and admiration of all time. As a conse- quence the world forgives much in the life and character of Burns. In the Old West Kirk cemetery is her grave. Above her rises a marble shaft, with figures rep- resenting her last parting from Burns, and below is a poetical quotation. Erected over the grave of Highland Mary, 1842. My Mary, dear departed shade, Where is thy home of blissful rest ? An iron railing surrounds the lot. With the permission of the guide I cut a few leaves from a shrub which grew above her, and pressing them out carefully I sent them to widely separated friends in the United States as precious memen- tos of her, the loved of Burns, who was cut down in her beautiful youth ! The kirk is an ancient structure, founded in 1589. James Watt, the utilizer of steam, is there buried. Among the surnames on tombstones fa- miliar to us in America are those of Peter Camp- bell, John Brown, John Morrison, Malcolm Mc- Gregor, James Ramsay, and John Allison. Mem- bers of the Jameson family, and others, are among the quiet sleepers. HOME OF THE NESMITH FAMILY. l23 Twelve miles from the city of Glasgow are two of the early homes of the Nesmith or Naesmith family: one is at Hamilton, and one at Auchingray- mont, also in the county of Lanark. The name is said to have originated in this way : Between September 8, 1249, when Alexander III of Scot- land was crowned king, and March 16, 1286, when he died, the legend runs that an aide-de- camp of the king, on the eve of a battle, was required by him to mend his armor. Though a man of powerful physique, and a brave warrior, he was unsuccessful as a mechanic. For his prowess, great daring, and heroic achievements in the battle he was knighted by the king with this laconic saying, that "although he was nae smith, he was a brave gentleman." The armorial bear- ings of the family refer to this remark. A drawn sword between two war hammers or "martels" broken, with the motto in old Scotch dialect, "Not by knaverie \i. e., art or skill] but by braverie." The Naesmiths of Posso, in the county of Peebles, are the head of this family, and descendants of the gallant knight. They have owned land on the Tweed since the 13th century. Hamilton and Auchingraymont are only a short distance from Posso. At the former place the male line became extinct in Arthur Nesmith in 1765. The ances- tor of the Nesmith family of New Hampshire and Massachusetts emigrated from Scotland to the shores of the river Bann, in the north of Ireland, 124 BIRTHPLACE OF MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS. in 1690. He had a son Arthur who died in Ire- land ; another son Arthur who died in London- derry, N. H. ; and the name has been perpetuated in every generation save one to the present. This is strong presumptive evidence that these are branches of the same family. There were John and Thomas Nesmith, of Pennsylvania, in 1730, who left descendants, who are unquestionably of the same family, as the same names appear as among the Nesmiths in Scotland. On Saturday, April 26, I left Glasgow for Edin- burgh, passing through a rich and highly culti- vated country. It was a great surprise to me to find such excellent land, and yielding such abun- dant harvests. The lowlands are a fine country, agriculturally considered, as the rich, well culti- vated fields fully attested. Women and children work much in the fields, as they do in all parts of Eu- rope. One of the most im- portant places Linlithgow Castle. between Glas- gow and Edinburgh was Linlithgow, an old town dating from the 12th century. Linlithgow palace could be seen standing on the margin of a lake. It was once a favorite resort of the royal family of Scotland. It is described by Walter Scott in "Marmion" as follows: RUnVS OF THE ROMAN WALL. 125 *' Of all the palaces so fair, Built for the royal dwelling In Scotland, far beyond compare, Linlithgow is excelling." There Queen Mary was born Dec. 7, 1542. In 1745-46 it was reduced to its present ruinous condition. On the route we passed remains of the Roman wall, built in the early part of the Christian era. Our road ran along for some dis- tance by the side of the "old wall," and inter- sected it at one point. Huge mounds of earth, resembling the remains of a railway, green with grass, is about all there is to mark the work of the Roman builders. Thus time levels, smooths, and will finally obliterate that great work of the invad- ing yet civilizing conquerors. CHAPTER V. EDINBURGH THE QUEEN CITY. WDINBURGH at last burst upon our view. MT We reached the outskirts, passed the city of the dead, and entered the city of the hving. The train ghded along the valley in which are situated the Princes Street Gardens, where was once a river, at the very base of the grandest old casde in Europe, which looked down frowningly upon us, and entered the Waverly station. Ascending long flights of stone steps, we were on Princes street, the finest in Edinburgh. A drizzling rain was falling, such a rain as is liable to come every fifteen minutes during the brightest, sun- niest day that ever dawned on Edinburgh. I se- cured very comfortable apartments at No. 7 Fred- erick street, within a stone's throw of Princes street, and in plain view of the casde. From the house one could see the red-coated soldiers, hear the booming gun at sunrise and sunset, the re- veille call, and listen to the beating drums and the playing of the bagpipes. By securing lodgings one is relieved of the intolerable nuisance of being obliged, after paying an exorbitant hotel bill, of feeing half a score of servants. I enjoyed IN APARTMENTS. 127 apartments very much, and secured them in all the cities where my stay was for any considerable time. My room was as cosey and homelike in an hour's time after I secured it as if it had always been my home. When I returned in the evening the door of my room stood invitingly open, and the gas was lighted. An open coal fire burned cheerily on the hearth, the large arm-chair was trundled up before it, and the bedspread thrown back ready for my night's repose. These people have a wonderful faculty of making their guests comfortable. Persons occupying apartments do not board with the family letting them rooms, but each one orders the kind of food wished, which is cooked, and served in his room. He might live for weeks and months and never meet to speak with the person occupying the next apartment. In Ireland and Scotland, Scotch porridge is the universal dish for breakfast. It is known as oatmeal pud- ding in the United States. Mutton chop is con- sidered preferable to beef. Among my fellow-lodgers were Mrs. Patterson and daughter. The former was a widow of Col. Patterson of the British army. They were near relatives of Mrs. Patterson of Baltimore, the first wife of Jerome Bonaparte. There was also a Mr. Smith, a very bright young law student, graduate of Edinburgh University, and a direct descendant of Flora McDonald. 128 THE CASTLE. The entrance to houses is often by a spiral stone staircase to reach the different stories or flats. I was now in Edinburgh, the Queen City of Scotland, so beautiful for situation, so romantic in her history, and which is adorned with the strong battlements of the Old Castle as a coronet on her brow. Paris and Brussels surpass her in artificial beauty, but for those charms which come from nat- ure's own lavish hand few cities in the world can equal her. I was delight- ed with Edinburgh and with her people. The castle is the most renowned one in Europe. It stands on a precipitous rock 383 feet above the level of the sea, and cov- ers an area of six acres. It consists of barracks for 2,000 soldiers, and an armory for 300,000 stand of arms. Here, keeping watch and guard, and mounted high on the parapet of old Edingburgh's castle, — the king's bastion, — and overlooking the wonderful panorama of city and country and sea, lies Mons Meg, the famous piece of ordnance which is said to have been forged at Mons in Bel- gium in 1476. James IV employed it at the siege of Dumbarton in 1489. It burst when fir- ing a salute in honor of the duke of York in SCOTLAND'S REGALIA. 1 29 1682; was removed to the Tower of London in 1754; and was restored to Scodand through the intervention of Scott in 1829. It is about twenty inches in diameter, and is composed of thick iron bars looped together. Near where this monster gun is lying is the small chapel of St. Margaret, founded before i\. D. 1093. In a room of the castle was born King James I of England. When eight days old the future king was put into a basket, and from a window lowered down the precipitous sides of the cliff, several hundred feet, to the ground below. The Crown Room contains the regalia so precious to all Scotchmen, and guarded with jeal- ous care. There is the crown of pure gold, dating from the time of Robert Bruce, a sword of state, the sceptre, the rod of office of the lord treasurer, the royal jewels, the order of the garter, the badge of the thistle, and the coronation ring of Charles I. All these are of exceeding interest, and carry one's mind backward over the vanished centuries. From the high walls surrounding the castle is obtained an excellent view of the city and the country around. The Princes Street Gardens, at the base of the castle, are a part of a narrow vale extending from the western extremi- ty of Castle Rock to the south-east base of Calton Hill. This valley was once covered by a lake call- ed the North Loch ; and on this spot, now so lovely with gravelly walks, and trees and beds of flowers 130 THE VANISHED LAKE, of endless variety, adorned with statues, and where waters sparkle and glisten as they issue from streaming fountains — on this spot, now almost a fairy land, in 1398, then a lake, was held a brill- iant tournament under the auspices of the rulers of Scotland. This ravine divides old Edinburgh from the new, and across it are built solid, spanning bridges firm as the earth. Overlooking this fairy-like vale is the monument to Walter Scott, erected in 1840-44 at a cost of $78,000. It is 200 feet high, and adorned with thirty-two statuettes Scott's Monument, of prominent characters mentioned in the novels of Scott, besides a sitting statue of the great novelist. From the summit is a pleas- ing view of the city. Near by is the royal insti- tution containing the Antiquarian Museum and Statue Gallery. The museum contains the most valuable collection of antiquities in Scotland. At the eastern portion of the city rises Calton Hill, 344 feet above sea level. Numerous mon- uments adorn it. I wended my way to the top of Nelson's monument, from which I looked down some 400 feet to see the people and carriages travelling in the streets. The country for miles around was distinctly visible. On the west is Prin- ces street, with its array of monuments and a sea of buildings, with the castle over which floated HEART OF MIDLOTHIAN: 131 gaily the flag of Great Britain; on the south are the unattractive portions of old Edinburgh; on the north is the new town ; and to the east is the Firth of Forth, with Bass Rock rising from the waters. The National monument, commenced in honor of the soldiers who died at Waterloo, re- mains in an unfinished condition. The University of Edinburgh dates from A. D. 1582. Its library exceeds 150,000 volumes, and its students number more than 1800 men. I attended services the first Sabbath at the cel- ebrated church of St. Giles, of the established Presbyterian denomination. In this building, on the 13th of October, 1643, the Solemn League and Covenant (which gave rise to the term Cove- nanter) was sworn to and subscribed by the Com- mittee of Estates of Parliament, the commission of the church, and the English commission. By the walls of the building are the tombs of the Regent Murray and Marquis of Montrose. Com- ino- out of the church, my attention was attracted by the figure of a heart in the pavement of the street, which marks the site of the old Tolbooth gaol, commonly called the "Heart of Midlothian," which, in a book of that name, has been immor- talized by Scott. At one side of the church is ' Parliament square. The ground occupied by this and a portion of the old Parliament House of Scotland was originally the cemetery of St. Giles's church. Near the centre of the square, between 132 GRAVE OF JOHN KNOX. the church and parhament building, in the pave- ment, there is a hght stone about eighteen inches square, marked I-K, 1572. Here rests in his last long sleep the great Scotch reformer John Knox. Since the union of Scotland and England, the Parliament House is used by the supreme courts. The entire walls of the great hall of par- liament are lined with portraits of many of the best sons of Scotland. In another portion is the Advocates' library, of more than 300,000 volumes, and near it the Signet library, of 50,000 volumes, and together they make the most valuable library in Great Britain, with the exception of that in the British Museum, London. The rarest books are elegantly bound. There was a copy of the Bible written by hand in letters as distinct as printed ones. It was executed in the 12th century, and after 600 years they are as clear and black as if printed yesterday. Rev. Horatius Bonar, d. d., author of many charming religious hymns, is pastor of a church in the city. I went to hear him, but failed, and the same sunny Sabbath afternoon visited the Grange Road cemetery, where some are sleeping whose lives honored Scotland and benefited man- kind. There was the grave of Rev. Thomas Guthrie, d. d., and of Rev. Thomas Chalmers, D.D., LL. D., the distinguished and eloquent divine, born March 17, 1780, and died at Morningside, near Edinburgh, May 31, 1847. There, near him, ARTHUR'S SEAT. 133 resting peacefully, was the great self-taught Scotch geologist Hugh Miller, who died Decem- ber 24, 1856. Others known to fame are buried there. Passing out of the cemetery I entered the Queen's park, with its beautiful hard road, which leads around Salisbury Crag to Arthur's Seat. The drive is ascending, and encircles the moun- tain. A little lake nestles at the mountain's base. Arthur's Seat is the topmost pinnacle of the mountain, 822 feet high. For a wonder the day was bright and the atmosphere comparatively clear, so that the country for miles around was to be seen. Holyrood palace was in the vale beneath, while